S 


University  Library 
University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


SATUKIOVA. 


Pa     71. 


INDIAN  WARS 


OP   THE 


UNITED  STATES, 

fnm  tJF*  Bisnmjrij  tn  tji*  -jUrmnt  €i 


WITH  ACCOUNTS  OP 


•THE   ORIGIN,  MANNERS,  SUPERSTITIONS,  &c. 
OF   THE   ABORIGINES. 


fROM   THE    BEST   AUTHORITIES. 


BY   WILLIAM   V.    MOORE,  ' 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  JAS.  B.  SMITH  &  CO. 

NO.  610  CHESTNUT  ST. 

1858. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1850,  by 

J.  &  J.  L.  GIHON, 

the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania. 


CONTENTS. 

'/  ^SS 


INTRODUCTION. — General  Account  of  the  Indians  of  North  Ame 
rica  Page  9 

CHAPTER  I.  Early  Indian  Wars  of  Florida 50 

II.  Early  Indian  Wars  of  Virginia -  . .  90 

III.  Early  Indian  Relations  of  New  England Ill 

IV  ThePequodWar 118 

V.  King  Philip's  War 123 

VI.  King  William's  War HO 

VII.  Wars  of  the  Five  Nations  (to  the  Close  of  the  last 

French  and  Indian  War) 153 

VIII.  Queen  Anne's  War 174 

IX.  Lovewell's  War 180 

X.  Last  French  and  Indian  War. 185 

XI.  Pontiac's  War 204 

XII.  War  of  the  Western  Indians 210 

XIII.  Indian  Wars  of  Carolina  previous  to  the  Revolution. .  216 

XIV.  Cresap's  War ,225 

XV.  Indian  Wars  of  the  Revolution 231 

XVI.  North- Western  War  (during  Washington's  Adminis 
tration) 250 

XVII.  Tippecanoe  War 256 

XVIII.  North-Western  War  (1812  and  1813) 266 

XIX.  The  Creek  War 282 

XX.  Seminole  War  (1817) 292 

XXI.  Black  Hawk's  War 300 

•  XXII.  Seminole  War 305 

(7) 


PREFACE. 

AN  a  general  history  of  the  United  States,  the  Indian  wars 
are  apt  to  be  passed  over  rather  slightly.  The  press  of  other 
matter  leaves  little  room  for  the  consideration  of  them;  and 
they  appear  as  detached  and  unimportant  incidents.  But 
when  we  consider  that  every  inch  of  the  soil,  now  in  pos 
session  of  the  people  of  this  republic,  was  either  purchased 
or  conquered  from  the  aborigines,  the  means  by  which  this 
immense  acquisition  was  accomplished  must  certainly  be 
regarded  as  highly  worthy  the  attention  of  history.  Nor  is 
this  the  only  reason  why  this  subject  should  be  distinctly 
treated,  and  attentively  studied,  by  the  people  of  this  coun 
try.  Our  citizens  are  too  apt  to  forget  what  their  ancestors 
did  and  suffered  for  their  good;  and  the  historian  should 
faithfully  remind  them,  as  often  as  occasion  may  occur,  of 
those  times  when  the  rifle  was  carried  to  the  meadows  and 
the  corn-field  as  a  protection  to  the  husbandman ;  and  when 
the  setting  sun  was  the  signal  for  transforming  every  dwell 
ing-house  into  a  garrisoned  castle. 

In  the  hope  of  calling  public  attention  to  this  portion  of 
our  history,  by  treating  it  distinctly  and  independently,  the 
following  work  has  been  composed.  It  comprises  a  narra 
tive  of  all  the  Indian  wars  conducted  within  the  territory  of 
the  United  States,  between  the  aborigines  and  the  European 
race,  from  the  discovery  to  the  present  time — all,  which  were 
deemed  of  sufficient  importance,  in  their  nature  or  results, 
to  claim  a  place  in  general  history. 

In  order  to  bring  the  annals  of  so  long  a  period  within  the 
compass  of  a  moderate-sized  volume,  it  was  necessary  to 
avoid  minute  details,  and  to  carry  the  narrative  forward 
with  an  eye  to  the  general  nature  and  main  results  of  each 
contest.  Still  the  author  hopes  that  there  is  enough  of  indi 
vidual  action  and  character  in  the  history  to  interest,  with 
out  that  prolixity  which  would  weary  the  reader.  The  gene 
ral  subject  is  full  of  interest  and  instruction,  and  if  the  au 
thor  is  deficient  in  either,  it  has  not  been  for  want  of  a  fer 
tile  field  of  incident,  and  an  infinite  variety  of  characters 
and  actions. 

(8) 


INDIAN    WARS 


OP   THE 


UNITED  STATES, 


INTRODUCTION. 

GENERAL  ACCOUNT  OP  THE  INDIANS 
OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

ORIGIN. 

T  the  time  when  North 
America  was  first  visited 
by  the  Europeans,  it  was 
inhabited  by  many  inde 
pendent  savage  tribes,  who 
subsisted  by  hunting,  fish 
ing,  the  spontaneous  pro- 
7  ductions  of  the  earth,  and 
some  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  These  tribes  com 
monly  lived  remote  from  each  other,  in  the  bosom  of 
immense  forests ;  and  each  claimed  an  extensive  tract 
of  land  as  its  hunting  ground. 

But  the  great  body  of  the  North  American  Indians 

(9) 


10  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

are  evidently  of  a  race  different  from  the  Esquimaux 
and  concerning  their  origin  various  opinions  have  been 
entertained. 

Blome,  Adair,  and  Boudinot,  have  thought  them  the 
descendants  of  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel;  others  have 
imagined  them  the  offspring  of  the  Canaanites  expelled 
by  Joshua ;  Grotius,  adopting  the  opinion  of  Martyr, 
the  companion  of  Columbus,  believed  part  at  least  of 
America  to  have  been  peopled  by  ^Ethiopians  and 
Christians  ;  and  the  late  ingenious  De  Witt  Clinton,  go 
vernor  of  the  state  of  New  York,  maintained  that  the 
American  Indians  are  of  Tartar  origin ;  and  that,  in 
ages  past,  they  overcame  and  exterminated  a  prior 
race  of  inhabitants,  who  had  made  greater  progress  in 
civilization  than  themselves.  But,  whatever  may  be 
the  difficulty  of  accounting  for  the  ancient  fortifications 
to  which  this  learned  writer  refers,  his  opinion  seems  to 
rest  on  no  solid  foundation ;  for  there  is  no  appearance 
that,  before  their  intercourse  with  the  Europeans,  the 
Indians  had  ever  seen  a  people  who  had  attained  any 
considerable  degree  of  improvement. 

But  to  enter  into  speculations  of  this  kind  is  not  the 
object  of  the  present  work  ;  and  it  may  serve  our  pur 
pose  to  allege,  in  general,  that  the  progenitors  of  the 
Indian  tribes  emigrated  from  the  north-east  parts  of 
Asia  to  the  north-west  parts  of  America,  and  thence 
gradually  spread  themselves  over  that  great  continent. 
At  what  time  this  emigration  began,  it  is  needless  to  en 
quire  and  impossible  to  ascertain.  It  is  not  unreason 
able  to  believe,  that  families  or  tribes  performed  the 
passage  at  different  periods  and  at  different  places 
Savages  are  often  carried  to  great  distances  in  their 
frail  barks.  The  islands  of  the  South  Sea,  although 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  INDIANS.  11 

widely  separated  from  each  other,  are  mostly  inhabited ; 
and  the  person  who  thoroughly  understands  the  lan 
guage  of  any  one  island,  is  seldom  at  a  loss  to  hold 
communication  with  the  natives  of  any  other;  which 
proves  that  those  people  are  all  of  one  common  stock, 
and  that  the  period  of  their  settlement  in  the  islands  is 
not  very  remote. 

In  this  inquiry,  the  Indians  can  give  us  no  assistance ; 
for  of  their  own  history,  beyond  the  traditionary  re 
cords  of  two  or  three  generations,  they  know  nothing ; 
and  the  strange  notions  which  some  of  them  entertain 
of  their  origin  need  not  surprise  us.  According  to  the 
unambitious  belief  of  the  Osages,  a  people  living  on  the 
banks  of  one  of  the  lower  tributaries  of  the  Missouri, 
they  are  sprung  from  a  snail  and  a  beaver.  The  Man- 
dans  believed  their  ancestors  once  lived  in  a  large  village 
under  ground,  near  a  subterranean  lake ;  that  by  means 
of  a  vine  tree,  which  extended  its  roots  to  their  cheer 
less  habitation,  they  got  a  glimpse  of  the  light ;,  that  in 
formed  by  some  adventurers,  who  had  visited  the  upper 
world,  of  the  numerous  buffaloes  pasturing  on  the  plains, 
and  of  the  trees,  loaded  with  delicious  fruits,  the  whole 
nation,  with  one  consent,  began  to  ascend  the  roots  of 
the  vine ;  but  that,  when  about  the  half  of  them  had 
reached  the  surface,  a  corpulent  woman  climbing  up, 
broke  the  roots  by  her  weight ;  that  the  earth  immedi 
ately  closed,  and  concealed  for  ever  from  those  below, 
the  cheering  beams  of  the  sun.  From  a  people  who 
entertain  such  fanciful  notions  of  their  origin,  no  valu 
able  information  concerning  their  early  history  can  be 
expected. 

The  character  of  man,  to  a  great  extent,  is  formed 
by  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is  placed;  and,  as  all 


12  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  North  American  nations,  at  the  time  of  their  first 
discovery  by  Europeans,  were  in  the  same  savage  state, 
and  procured  subsistence  by  similar  means,  there  was 
a  striking  uniformity  in  their  appearance,  character, 
manners,  customs,  and  opinions.  But,  by  their  inter 
course  with  Europeans,  that  uniformity  has,  in  some 
measure,  been  broken.  Many  of  the  tribes  have  re 
ceived  several  articles  of  merchandise,  horses,  arms, 
cloth,  culinary  utensils,  and  intoxicating  liquors,  from 
their  white  neighbours  or  visiters,  and  this  has  had  some 
influence  on  their  habits  of  life. 

COLOUR. 

The  colour  of  the  human  race  seems  to  depend  on 
two  circumstances,  —  climate,  and  manner  of  life.  In 
general,  mankind  are  of  a  darker  colour  as  we  advance 
towards  the  equator,  and  whiter  as  we  approach  the 
polar  regions.  The  complexion  is  affected  also  by  tne 
degree  t)f  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Climate, 
.  however,  is  not  the  only  circumstance  on  which  colour 
depends :  it  is  determined,  in  a  considerable  degree,  by 
the  manner  of  life.  In  the  same  parallel  of  latitude, 
savages  who  are  almost  always  in  the  open  air,  and 
who  live  in  a  rude  and  dirty  manner,  are  of  a  darker 
complexion  than  the  members  of  more  civilized  society. 

Both  of  those  causes  have  operated  on  the  North 
American  Indians.  They  are  all  of  a  red  copper  co 
lour,  with  some  diversity  of  shade.  The  men  are  tall, 
large  boned,  and  well  made;  with  small  black  eyes, 
lodged  in  deep  sockets,  high  cheek-bones,  nose  more  or 
less  aquiline,  mouth  large,  lips  rather  thick,  and  the  hair 
of  tne  head  black,  straight,  and  coarse.  In  general, 
they  carefully  extract  the  hair  of  the  beard  and  other 


EMPLOYMENTS  AND  DRESS  OF  THE  INDIANS.  13 

parts  of  the  body,  and  hence  were  long  believed  desti 
tute  of  that  excrescence.  The  general  expression  of 
the  countenance  is  thoughtful  and  sedate.  Formerly 
some  tribes  flattened  the  heads  of  their  infants  by  arti 
ficial  pressure ;  but  at  present  that  practice  is  unknown 
to  the  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  hav£  a 
sound  understanding,  quick  apprehension,  and  retentive 
memory,  with  an  air  of  indifference  in  their  general 
behaviour. 

The  women,  or  squaws,  differ  considerably  from  the 
men,  both  in  person  and  features.  They  are  small  and 
short,  with  homely,  broad  faces ;  but  have  often  an  ex 
pression  of  mildness  and  sweetness  in  their  looks. 

EMPLOYMENTS    AND    DRESS. 

Except  when  engaged  in  war,  hunting  and  fishing 
are  the  sole  employment  of  the  men.  By  means  of 
these,  by  the  spontaneous  productions  of  the  earth,  and 
by  a  partial  cultivation  of  the  soil,  they  procure  a  pre 
carious  subsistence ;  feasting  freely  when  successful  in 
the  chase,  but  capable  of  great  abstinence  when  provi 
sions  are  less  plentiful. 

.  Some  of  the  tribes,  when  first  visited  by  Europeans, 
raised  considerable  crops;  and  they  taught  the  early 
settlers  in  New  England  to  plant  and  dress  maize.  At 
present  several  nations  cultivate  maize,  beans,  pump 
kins,  and  water-melons ;  and  in  this  way  considerably 
increase  their  means  of  subsistence. 

Hunting,  war,  the  desire  of  revenge,  or  the  love  of 
amusement,  are  the  usual  incitements  of  the  men?  to  ac 
tion.  Subjected  to  much  fatigue  and  many  privations, 
exposed  to  continual  dangers,  and  under  perpetual  ap 
prehensions  of  being  attacked  by  his  enemies,  the  Indian 


14  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

has  little  gaiety  in  his  character.  He  is  rather  gloomy 
and  silent.  Grave  in  his  whole  deportment,  he  seldom 
opens  his  mouth  but  to  utter  what  he  deems  important. 
He  is  sagacious  and  penetrating ;  and  his  observations 
are  often  rational  and  shrewd.  He  will  smile,  but  rarely 
laughs ;  and  never  indulges  in  playful  sallies,  or  unne 
cessary  remarks,  merely  for  the  sake  of  talking.  He 
generally  speaks  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  and  employs 
few  words,  except  in  council,  where  his  elocution  is 
loud,  rapid,  and  vehement.  The  young  men  not  unfre- 
quently  engage  keenly  in  games  and  amusements.  In 
general,  the  Indians  are  cool  and  circumspect,  with 
much  apparent  apathy. 

The  squaw  is  often  a  perfect  contrast  to  her  partner. 
She  is  sprightly  in  her  demeanour,  and  her  countenance 
is  enlivened  by  a  pleasant  smile.  Her  risibility  is  easily 
excited,  and  she  is  not  deficient  in  prattling  loquacity. 

The  sight,  smell,  and  hearing  of  the  Indians,  being 
frequently  and  attentively  exercised,  are  all  remarkably 
acute.  They  can  trace  the  footsteps  of  man  or  beast 
through  the  forest,  and  over  the  plain  and  mountain, 
where  an  inexperienced  eye  cannot  discern  the  slightest 
vestige.  They  can  often  judge,  with  much  accuracy, 
how  many  persons  have  been  in  the  companj',  how  long 
it  is  since  they  passed,  and  even,  at  times,  to  what  na 
tion  they  belonged.  They  can  pursue  their  course 
through  the  pathless  forest,  or  over  the  snowy  moun 
tain,  with  undeviating  certainty;  and  are  guided  by 
marks  which  entirely  escape  the  notice  of  an  Eu 
ropean. 

Strangers  to  letters,  and  untutored  by  learning,  their 
passions,  which  are  little  curbed  by  parental  authority, 
grow  up  wild  and  unpruned,  like  the  trees  of  their  na« 


INDIAN  SQUAW.  Page  14. 


I 


INDIAM  COSTUME.  page  15. 


EMPLOYMENTS  AND  DRESS  OF  THE  INDIANS.  1$ 

live  forests.  They  are  fickle  and  capricious ;  irascible 
and-  impetuous ;  kind  to  their  friends,  vindictive  and 
cruel  towards  fheir  enemies ;  and  in  order  to  execute 
their  revenge,  they  readily  exercise  dissimulation  and 
deceit,  and  shrink  from  no  toil  or  danger.  Their  dis 
tinguishing  qualities  are  strength,  cunning,  and  ferocity ; 
and  as  war  is  their  first  employment,  so  bravery  is  their 
first  virtue. 

The  ancient  weapon  of  the  hunter  was  the  bow  and 
arrow ;  but  many  of  them  have  now  procured  muskets. 
Their  dress  differs  considerably  in  different  tribes.  It 
consisted  originally  of  skins;  but  many  of  them  are 
now  provided  with  blankets  and  different  kinds  of  cloth. 
The  dress  of  the  Konzas,  a  tribe  on  the  Missouri,  may 
serve  as  a  sample.  They  protect  their  feet  with  moc 
casins,  or  shoes  made  of  dressed  deer,  elk,  or  buffalo 
skin :  leggins  of  deer-skin  reach  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  thigh :  a  breech-doth  passes  between  the  legs,  and  is 
attached  to  a  girdle  fastened  round  the  loins.  A  blanket 
or  skin  covers  the  upper  part  of  the  body ;  but  in  warm 
weather  it  is  laid  aside.  In  some  tribes  the  hair  is 
allowed  to  flow  loosely  over  the  face  and  shoulders ;  in 
others  it  is  carefully  braided,  knotted,  and  ornamented, 
and  is  always  well  greased.  In  many  cases  the  head  is 
bare,  both  in  summer  and  winter;  but  in  others,  both 
men  and  women  wear  a  cap  like  an  inverted  bowl. 
The  men  have  also  a  war  cap,  which  they  put  on  as  a 
symbol  of  mourning,  or  when  preparing  for  battle.  It 
is  commonly  decorated  with  the  feathers  of  rare  vbirds, 
or  with  the  claws^of  beavers  or  eagles,  or  other  similar 
ornaments.  A  quill  or  feather  is  also  suspended  from 
it  for  every  enemy  that  the  warrior  has  slain  in  battle. 
They  often  suspend  from  their  ears  wampum  beads, 


16  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

silver  and  tin  trinkets,  and  they  are  fond  of  bracelets 
and  rings.  The  face  and  body  are  often  besmeared 
with  a  mixture  of  grease  and  coal.  They  are  very 
attentive  to  personal  decoration;  and  vermilion  is  an 
important  article  at  their  toilet.  The  faces  of  the  men 
are  painted  with  more  care  than  those  of  the  women ; 
and  the  latter  have  more  pride  in  adorning  the  counte 
nances  of  their  husbands  than  their  own.  A  tobacco 
pouch,  attached  to  the  girdle  or  carried  in  the  hand,  is 
a  usual  part  of  their  equipment.  The  women's  dress  is 
partly  like  that  of  the  men ;  but  their  leggins  only  reach 
to  the  knee ;  they  have  sleeveless  shifts,  which  come 
down  to  the  ankle,  and  a  mantle  covers  all. 

On  the  north-west  coast  of  America,  between  52° 
and  53°  north  latitude,  the  dress  of  the  natives  consists 
of  a  single  robe,  tied  over  the  shoulders,  falling  down 
to  the  heels  behind,  and  a  little  below  the  knee  before, 
with  a  deep  fringe  round  the  bottom.  It  is  generally 
made  of  the  bark  of  the  cedar  tree,  spun  like  hemp. 
Some  of  those  garments  are  interwoven  with  stripes 
of  the  sea-otter's  skin,  which  gives  them  the  appearance 
of  fur  on  one  side :  others  have  stripes  of  red  and  yel 
low  threads  fancifully  introduced  towards  the  borders, 
which  produce  a  very  agreeable  effect.  The  men  have 
no  other  covering,  and  they  unceremoniously  lay  it 
aside  whenever  it  suits  their  convenience  to  do  so.  Be 
sides  the  robe,  the  women  have  a  close  fringe  hanging 
down  before  them,  and  they  cut  their  hair  so  short  that 
it  needs  little  care  or  combing :  the  men  have  theirs  in 
plaits,  smeared  with  grease  and  red  aafrth,  and,  instead 
of  a  comb,  they  have  a  small  stick,  suspended  by  a 
string  from  one  of  the  locks,  which  they  employ  to 
alleviate  any  itching  or  irritation  of  the  head. 


DWELLINGS,  FURNITURE,  AND  FOOD.  17 

DWELLINGS,    FURNITURE,    AND    FOOD. 

The  wigiuams,  tents,  or  lodges  of  the  Indians  are  dif 
ferently  constructed  in  different  nations.  The  rudest 
are  formed  of  branches  resting  against  each  other  at 
the  top,  covered  with  leaves  or  grass,  and  forming  a 
very  imperfect  shelter  against  the  weather.  The  na 
tions  on  the  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  have  houses 
formed  of  a  frame  of  sticks,  covered  with  mats  and 
dried  grass.  Many  tribes  erect  long  poles,  in  a  circular 
form  at  the  bottom,  and  resting  against  each  other  at 
the  top,  which  they  cover  with  skins :  others  have  ob 
long  lodges,  consisting  of  a  wooden  frame,  covered 
with  grass  mats  and  earth.  The  light  is  admitted  by  a 
small  door,  and  by  an  aperture  in  the  top,  which  serves 
also  for  the  escape  of  the  smoke.  The  fire  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  lodge,  and  the  family  sit  round  it  on  the 
bare  ground;  but  they  spread  a  skin  for  a  stranger. 
They  readily  kindle  a  fire  by  rapidly  turning  one  piece 
of  smooth  wood  upon  another ;  but  in  the  vicinity  of 
Europeans,  they  are  now  generally  provided  with  flint 
and  steel.  On  the  north-\vest  coast,  some  tribes  live  in 
houses  considerably  elevated  above  the  ground,  and 
supported  by  upright  posts. 

Their  scanty  and  simple  furniture  and  culinary  uten 
sils  are  suited  to  their  humble  dwelling*  and  homely 
manner  of  life.  A  kettle,  a  wooden  bowl,  a  couple  of 
wooden  or  horn  spoons,  a  few  skins  for  beds  and  co 
vers,  and  a  buffalo's  stomach  for  carrying  water,  are 
the  chief  articles  of  domestic  accommodation.  For 
merly  they  used  earthen  pots ;  but  these  are  now  gene 
rally  superseded  by  metallic  pots  or  kettles,  purchased 
from  the  white  traders.  Some  of  the  tribes  on  the 

B 


18  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

north-west  of  Lake  Superior,  cook  their  victuals  in  ves 
sels  made  of  watape,  the  name  given  to  the  split  roots 
of  the  spruce  fir.  These  they  weave  so  closely  as  to 
contain  water,  which  they  raise  to  the  boiling  point  by 
putting  into  it  a  succession  of  heated  stones. 

Many  of  the  tribes  are  strangers  to  bread  and  salt 
Besides  fruits  and  roots,  they  feed  on  the  flesh  of  thte 
animals  they  kill,  boiled  or  roasted.  In  travelling,  pem- 
mican  is  their  favourite  food.  It  consists  of  flesh  cut 
into  thin  slices,  dried  in  the  sun  or  over  a  slow  fire,  beat 
to  a  coarse  powder  between  two  stones,  and  then  care 
fully  packed  up.  In  different  nations  it  is  known  by 
different  names. 

Among  the  tribes  who  practise  cultivation,  maize  is 
sometimes  roasted  in  the  ashes,  and  sometimes  bruised 
and  boiled,  and  is  then  called  hominey.  They  also  boil 
and  eat  wild  rice,  which  grows  in  considerable  quanti 
ties  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  They  have  no  fixed 
time  for  meals,  but  eat  when  they  are  hungry.  They 
present  food  to  a  stranger,  at  what  time  soever  he  en 
ters  their  dwelling. 

MARRIAGE    AND    EDUCATION. 

Polygamy  is  not  uncommon  among  them ;  and  the 
husband  occasionally  finds  it  necessary  to  administer  a 
little  wholesome  castigation  to  his  more  quarrelsome  or 
refractory  squaws.  But  many  are  satisfied  with  one 
wife.  The  care  of  the  tent  and  the  whole  drudgery 
of  the  family  devolve  on  the  women.  They  gather 
"uel,  cook  the  provisions,  and  repair  every  article  of 
dress ;  cultivate  the  ground,  where  any  is  cultivated  • 
carry  the  baggage  on  a  journey;  and  pitch  the  tent 
when  they  halt.  In  these  and  similar  employments, 


MR.  CATILIN,  PAINTING  PORTRAITS  OF  THE  INDIANS.       Page  19. 


MARRIAGE  AND  EDUCATION.  19 

their  lordly  fathers,  husbands,  and  brothers,  think  it  de 
grading  to  assist  them,  and  unworthy  of  warriors  to 
engage  in  such  employments. 

Mr.  Catlin,  whose  long  residence  among  the  Indians, 
and  careful  observation  of  their  habits,  entitle  his 
opinion  to  great  respect,  regards  this  assignment  of 
drudgery  to  the  women  as  no  more  than  an  equitable 
distribution  of  the  labour  necessary  to  the  support  of 
the  household.  He  considers  the  toils  of  war  and  the 
chase,  which  are  almost  incessant,  and  are  solely  per 
formed  by  the  men,  as  a  complete  offset  to  the  domestic 
and  agricultural  cares  of  the  women.  On  the  whole  he 
thinks  that  the  condition  of  the  Indian  women  is  as 
comfortable  as  it  is  possible  to  render  it  by  any 
arrangement  which  would  not  completely  change  their 
mode  of  life.  To  withdraw  the  men  from  the  chase 
and  confine  them  to  the  culture  of  the  ground,  would 
render  the  Indians  an  agricultural  and  not  a  hunting 
people.  Still  the  condition  of  the  Indian  woman  is  a 
miserable  and  degraded  one, — a  condition  of  incessant 
labour  and  care. 

In  none  of  the  tribes  do  the  women  experience  much 
tenderness ;  but  among  the  Sioux  they  are  so  harshly 
treated,  that  they  occasionally  destroy  their  female  in 
fants,  alleging  that  it  is  better  for  them  to  be  put  to 
death  than  to  live  as  miserably  as  they  themselves  have 
done.  Even  suicide  is  not  uncommon  among  them, 
although  they  believe  it  offensive  to  the  Father  of  Life. 

The  Indians  never  chastise  their  children,  especially 
the  boys ;  thinking  that  it  would  damp  their  spirits,  check 
their  love  of  independence,  and  cool  their  martial  ar 
dour,  which  they  wish  above  all  things  to  encourage. 
*  Reason,"  say  they,  "  will  guide  our  children,  when 


20  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

they  come  to  the  use  of  it :  and  before  that,  their  faults 
cannot  be  very  great."  They  avoid  compulsory  mea 
sures,  and  allow  the  boys  to  act  with  uncontrolled  free 
dom  ;  but  endeavour,  by  example,  instruction,  and  ad 
vice,  to  train  them  to  diligence  and  skill  in  hunting ;  to 
animate  them  with  patience,  courage,  and  fortitude  in 
war;  and  to  inspire  them  with  contempt  of  danger, 
pain,  and  death,  —  qualities  of  the  highest  order  in  the 
estimation  of  an  Indian. 

By  gentleness  and  persuasion  they  endeavour  to  im 
bue  the  minds  of  their  children  with  virtuous  sentiments, 
according  to  their  notions  of  virtue.  The  aged  chiefs 
are  zealous  in  this  patriotic  labour,  and  the  squaws  give 
their  cordial  co-operation. 

Ishuchenau,  an  old  Kanza  warrior,  often  admonished 
the  group  of  young  auditors  who  gathered  around  him, 
of  their  faults,  and  exhorted  them  never  to  tell  a  lie,  and 
never  to  steal,  except  from  an  enemy,  whom  it  is  just 
to  injure  in  every  possible  way.  "  When  you  become 
men,"  said  he,  "  be  brave  and  cunning  in  war,  and  de 
fend  your  hunting  grounds  against  all  encroachments : 
never  suffer  your  squaws  and  little  ones  to  want ;  pro 
tect  them  and  strangers  from  insult.  On  no  occasion 
betray  a  friend  ;  be  revenged  on  your  enemies ;  drink 
not  the  poisonous  strong  water  of  the  white  people,  for 
it  is  sent  by  the  bad  spirit  to  destroy  the  Indians.  Fear 
not  death ;  none  but  cowards  fear  to  die.  Obey  and 
venerate  old  people,  particularly  your  parents.  Fear 
and  propitiate  the  bad  spirit,  that  he  may  do  you  no 
harm :  love  and  adore  the  Good  Spirit,  who  made  us 
all,  who  supplies  our  hunting  grounds,  and  keeps  all 
alive."  After  recounting  his  achievements,  he  was 
wont  to  add,  "Like  a  decayed  prairie  tree,  I  stand 


ISHUCHENATT. 


Page  20. 


MARRIAGE  AND  EDUCATION.  21 

alone :  —  the  friends  of  my  youth,  the  companions  of 
my  sports,  my  toils,  and  my  dangers,  rest  their  heads 
on  the  bosom  of  our  mother.  My  sun  is  fast  descending 
behind  the  western  hills,  and  I  feel  it  will  soon  be  night 
with  me."  Then  with  hands  and  eyes  lifted  towards 
heaven,  he  thanked  the  Great  Spirit  for  having  spared 
him  so  long,  to  show  the  young  men  the  true  path  to 
glory  and  fame. 

Their  opinions,  in  many  instances,  are  false,  and  lead 
to  corresponding  errors  in  conduct.  In  some  tribes,  the 
young  person  is  taught  to  pray,  with  various  supersti 
tious  observances,  that  he  may  be  a  great  hunter,  horse- 
stealer,  and  warrior ;  so  that  thus  the  fountain  of  virtue 
is  polluted. 

The  Indians  are  entirely  unacquainted  with  letters ; 
but  they  have  a  kind  of  picture  writing,  which  they 
practise  on  the  inside  of  the  bark  of  trees,  or  on  skins 
prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  by  which  they  can  com 
municate  the  knowledge  of  many  facts  to  each  other. 

The  Indian  names  are  descriptive  of  the  real  or  sup 
posed  qualities  of  the  persons  to  whom  they  belong: 
they  often  change  them  in  the  course  of  their  lives. 
The  young  warrior  is  ambitious  of  acquiring  a  new 
name ;  and  stealing  a  horse,  scalping  an  enemy,  or  kill 
ing  a  bear,  is  an  achievement  which  entitles  him  to 
choose  one  for  himself,  and  the  nation  confirms  it. 

The  Indian  women  are  industrious  wives  and  affec 
tionate  mothers.  They  are  attentive  to  the  comfort  of 
their  husbands,  watch  over  their  children  with  the  ut 
most  care  and  tenderness ;  and  if  they  die,  lament  the 
loss  in  the  most  affecting  manner. 

.Chastity  is  not  reckoned  a  virtue;  and,  as  the  women 
are  considered  the  property  of  the  men,  a  deviation 


22  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

from  it,  with  the  consent  of  the  father,  husband,  or  bro 
ther,  is  not  looked  on  as  an  offence.  Nay,  to  counte 
nance  their  wives,  sisters,  or  daughters,  in  conferring 
favours  on  strangers,  is  considered  a  strong  expression 
of  hospitality ;  and  the  refusal  of  the  proffered  kindness 
is  regarded  by  the  lady  as  an  unpardonable  insult.  But 
some  husbands,  on  discovering  unauthorized  conjugal 
infidelity,  punish  it  with  severity ;  others  treat  it  very 
lightly. 

The  Indians  are  kind  and  hospitable  to  their  friends, 
and  to  those  who  are  introduced  to  them  in  that  char 
acter.  Although  they  themselves  sit  on  the  bare  ground, 
yet  they  courteously  spread  a  buffalo  skin  for  their 
visiter ;  smoke  a  pipe  with  him  in  token  of  peace  and 
amity ;  and  the  squaw  prepares  something  for  him  to 
eat.  They  have  little  selfishness,  and  are  ready  to  share 
their  last  morsel  with  their  friends. 

MEDICINE    AND    SORCERY. 

They  are  immoderately  addicted  to  intoxicating 
liquors,  which  they  procure  from  the  white  traders,  and 
which  have  been  the  means  of  destroying  multitudes  of 
them.  Before  their  intercourse  with  white  men  they 
had  no  intoxicating  beverage ;  and,  excepting  the  liquor 
which  they  procure  from  the  merchants,  their  meals  are 
temperate,  and  their  habits  of  life  active.  Their  dis 
eases  are  few,  and  seldom  of  long  duration.  Many  of 
them  fall  in  battle ;  and  multitudes  are  occasionally 
swept  away  by  small-pox.  To  the  healing  art  they  are 
in  a  great  measure  strangers ;  although,  by  means  of 
simples,  they  in  some  instances  perform  surprising 
cures.  In  general,  however,  these  pretenders  to  medical 
skill  are  mere  quacks  and  jugglers,  who  affect  to  chase 


MEDICINE  AND  SORCERY.  23 

away  disease  by  howling,  blowing  on  the  patient,  and 
by  various  incantations,  sleight-of-hand  performances, 
and  superstitious  rites. 

Some  of  their  medicine-men  or  conjurors,  who  are 
their  only  doctors,  pretend  to  have  seen  the  Great  Spi 
rit,  and  to  have  conversed  with  him  in  some  visible 
form,  as  of  a  buffalo,  beaver,  or  other  animal ;  and  to 
have  received  from  him  some  medicine  of  peculiar  effi 
cacy.  The  animal  whose  form  had  appeared  is  con 
sidered  to  be  the  remedy ;  and  they  imitate  its  cry  in 
making  their  medical  applications.  The  medicine  bag, 
in  which  these  savage  physicians  have  a  few  herbs,  en 
tire  or  pulverized,  and  which  they  administer  with  a 
little  warm  water,  is  an  indispensable  requisite  in  Indian 
medical  practice.  Indeed,  the  head  of  every  family  has 
his  medicine  bag,  which  is  a  place  of  sacred  deposit, 
and  to  the  sanctity  of  which  he  commits  his  most  pre 
cious  articles.  The  value  of  its  contents  an  Indian  only 
can  appreciate. 

In  every  stage  of  society,  persons  appear  who  ac 
commodate  themselves  to  the  state  of  the  public  mind. 
Of  this  description  are  the  jugglers,  conjurors,  or 
powahs,  among  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  Indians. 
They  are  partly  medical  quacks,  partly  religious  im 
postors.  Many  of  them  are  dexterous  jugglers  and 
cunning  cheats.  They  pretend  to  foretell  future  events, 
and  even  to  influence  the  weather.  It  is  likely  that  they 
are  often,  in  some  measure,  the  dupes  of  their  own 
artifices. 

The  sweating-houses  of  the  Indians  are  often  em 
ployed  for  medical  purposes,  although  they  are  places 
of  social  recreation  also.  A  hole  is  dug  in  the  ground, 
and  over  it  is  built  a  small  close  hut,  with  an  opening 


24  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

just  large  enough  to  admit  the  patient.  A  number  of 
heated  stones  are  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  hole.  The 
patient  enters,  having  a  vessel  full  of  water  along  with 
him ;  and  being  seated  on  a  place  prepared  for  his  re 
ception,  the  entrance  is  closed.  He  sprinkles  water  on 
the  heated  stones,  and  is  soon,  by  the  steam,  thrown 
into  a  state  of  profuse  perspiration.  After  this  has  con 
tinued  for  some  time,  the  person  is  taken  out  and 
plunged  into  cold  water.  This  process  is  repeated  seve 
ral  times,  always  ending  with  the  steam-bath.  The  In 
dians  use  this  as  a  general  remedy ;  but  its  salutary 
effects  are  experienced  chiefly  in  rheumatic  diseases,  in 
which  its  efficacy  is  at  times  very  great. 

The  Indians  bear  disease  with  composure  and  re 
signation  ;  and  when  far  advanced  in  life,  often  long  for 
the  hour  of  dissolution.  "  It  is  better,"  said  an  aged 
sachem,  "  to  sit  than  to  stand,  to  sleep  than  to  be  awake, 
to  be  dead  than  alive."  The  dying  man  exhorts  his 
children  to  be  industrious,  kind  to  their  friends,  but  im 
placable  to  their  enemies.  He  rejoices  in  the  hope  of 
immortality.  He  is  going  to  the  land  of  spirits,  that 
happy  place  where  there  is  plenty  of  game  and  no 
want,  —  where  the  path  is  smooth  and  the  sky  clear. 

BURIAL    CEREMONIES,    MOURNING,    &c. 

When  the  sick  person  expires,  the  friends  assemble 
round  the  body,  the  women  weep  and  clap  their  hands, 
and  bewail  their  loss  with  loud  lamentations.  Different 
nations  dispose  of  the  bodies  of  departed  friends,  and 
express  their  grief,  in  different  ways.  Many  Indian 
tribes  bury  their  dead  soon  after  death.  They  wrap  up 
the  body  carefully  in  a  buffalo  robe,  or  dressed  skin,  and 
carry  it  to  the  grave  on  the  shoulders  of  two  or  three 


BURIAL  CEREMONIES  AND  MOURNING.  25 

men.  Along  with  the  body  they  bury  a  pair  or  two  of 
moccasins,  some  meat,  and  other  articles,  to  be  used  on 
the  journey  to  the  town  of  brave  spirits,  which  thev 
generally  believe  lies  towards  the  setting  sun.  The 
favourite  weapons  and  utensils  of  the  warrior  are  also 
deposited  by  his  side.  It  is  believed  that  unless  this  be 
done,  the  spirit  of  the  deceased  appears  among  the  trees 
near  his  lodge,  and  does  not  go  to  its  rest  till  the  pro 
perty  withheld  be  committed  to  the  grave.  In  some 
places  they  discharge  muskets,  make  a  noise,  and  vio 
lently  strike  the  trees,  in  order  to  drive  away  the  spirit, 
which  they  imagine  fondly  lingers  near  its  old  abode. 
A  mound  is  sometimes  raised  over  the  grave,  propor 
tioned  in  size  to  the  dignity  of  the  deceased ;  or  the 
place  is  marked  out  and  secured  by  short  sticks  driven 
into  the  ground  over  and  around  it.  Some  of  those 
graves  are  commonly  near  each  of  their  villages. 

The  tribes  on  the  Columbia  construct  long  narrow 
sheds,  in  which  they  deposit  the  dead,  carefully  wrapped 
up  in  skins,  and  covered  with  mats.  The  Killamucks, 
a  tribe  living  near  the  shore  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  on 
the  south  of  the  Columbia,  inclose  their  dead  in  an  ob 
long  wooden  box,  which  they  place  in  an  open  canoe, 
lying  on  the  ground,  with  a  paddle  and  some  other  arti 
cles  of  the  deceased  by  his  side.  The  Chinooks,  Clat- 
sops,  and  neighbouring  nations,  support  the  canoe  on 
posts,  about  six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  reverse  a 
larger  canoe  over  it.  The  whole  is  wrapped  up  in  mats 
made  of  rushes,  and  fastened  with  cords,  usually  made 
oi  the  bark  of  white  cedar.  But  instead  of  laying  the 
body  in  a  box  like  the  Killamucks,  they  roll  it  carefully 
in  a  dressed  skin.  Vancouver  saw  canoes,  containing 
dead  bodies,  suspended  from  the  branches  of  trees, 


26  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

about  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  The  Chopunnish,  a 
tribe  living  on  the  western  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
lay  their  dead  in  burying  places  constructed  of  boards, 
like  the  roof  of  a  house.  The  bodies  are  rolled  in  skins, 
laid  over  each  other,  and  separated  by  a  board  above 
and  belo'w.  They  devote  horses,  (fanoes,  and  other 
kinds  of  property,  to  the  dead.  Carver  mentions  some 
tribes  on  the  St.  Peter's  which  annually  carry  their  dead 
for  interment  to  a  cave  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 
It  appears  that  some  others  occasionally  burn  the  dead, 
or  at  least  the  flesh,  and  afterwards  bury  the  bones. 

On  the  death  of  a  relation,  the  survivors  give  way  to 
excessive  grief,  bedaub  themselves  with  white  clay, 
blacken  their  faces,  cut  off  their  hair,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  mangle  themselves  in  a  shocking  manner,  thrust 
ing  knives  or  arrows  into  the  muscular  parts  of  their 
thighs  or  arms,  or  cutting  off  a  joint  of  one  of  their 
fingers.  For  a  while  they  nightly  repair  to  the  place 
of  sepulture  to  give  expression  to  their  grief;  and  may 
occasionally  be  seen  affectionately  plucking  the  grass 
from  the  grave  of  a  deceased  relation  or  friend. 

Among  those  tribes  in  the  extreme  northern  parts  of 
the  continent,  where  provisions  are  scarce,  and  pro 
cured  with  difficulty,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  an  aged 
person,  who  is  unable  to  provide  for  himself,  to  request 
his  family  to  put  him  to  death  ;  and  the  request  is  com 
plied  with,  or  he  is  treated  with  much  neglect.  But  this 
unnatural  conduct  results  entirely  from  the  pressure  of 
circumstances,  and  the  privations  and  sufferings  to 
which  those  poor  people  are  exposed ;  for  in  more 
favourable  situations  they  behave  towards  the  aged 
and  infirm  with  respect  and  tenderness. 


RELIGION.  27 

RELIGION. 

Of  the  religion  of  the  Indians  we  have  no  full  and 
dear  account.  Indeed,  of  the  opinions  of  a  people  who 
have  nothing  more  than  a  few  vague  and  indefinite  no 
tions,  no  distinct-  explanation  can  be  given.  *  On  this 
subject  the  Indians  are  not  communicative ;  and  to  ob 
tain  a  thorough  knowledge  of  it  would  require  familiar, 
attentive,  unsuspected,  and  unprejudiced  observation. 
But  such  observation  is  not  easily  made;  and  a  few 
general,  and  on  some  points  uncertain,  notices  only  can 
be  given. 

On  looking  at  the  most  renowned  nations  of  the  an 
cient  heathen  world,  we  see  the  people  prostrating 
themselves  before  innumerable  divinities;  and  we  are 
ready  to  conclude  that  polytheism  is  the  natural  belief 
of  man,  unenlightened  by  revelation.  But  a  survey  of 
the  vast  wilds  of  America  will  correct  this  opinion.  For 
there  we  find  a  multitude  of  nations,  widely  separated 
from  each  other,  all  believing  in  One  Supreme  God,  a 
great  and  good  spirit,  the  father  and  master  of  life,  the 
maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  of  all  other  creatures. 
They  believe  themselves  entirely  dependent  on  him, 
thank  him  for  present  enjoyments,  and  pray  to  him  for 
the  good  things  they  desire  to  obtain.  They  consider 
him  the  author  of  all  good ;  and  believe  he  will  reward 
or  punish  them  according  to  their  deeds. 

They  believe  in  inferior  spirits  also,  both  good  and 
bad ;  to  whom,  particularly  to  the  good,  they  give  the 
,  name  of  Manitou,  and  consider  them  tutelary  spirits. 
The  Indians  are  careful  observers  of  dreams,  and  think 
themselves  deserted  by  the  Master  of  life,  till  they  re 
ceive  a  manitou  in  a  dream ;  that  is,  till  they  dream  of 


28  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES- 

some  object,  as  a  buffalo  or  beaver,  or  something  elsa, 
which  they  think  is  an  intimation  that  the  Great  Spirit 
has  given  them  that  object  as  a  manitou,  or  medicine. 
Then  they  are  full  of  courage,  and  proud  of  their  pow 
erful  ally.  To  propitiate  the  manitou,  or  medicine, 
every  exertion  is  made,  and  every  personal  considera 
tion  sacrificed.  "  I  was  lately  the  proprietor  of  seven 
teen  horses,"  said  a  Mandan ;  "  but  I  have  offered  them 
all  to  my  medicine,  and  am  now  poor."  He  had  turned 
all  these  horses,  which  constituted  the  wrhole  of  his 
wealth,  loose  into  the  plain,  committed  them  to  his  me 
dicine,  and  abandoned  them  for  ever.  But,  although 
they  offer  oblations  to  the  manitous,  they  positively  deny 
that  they  pay  them  any  adoration,  and  affirm  that  they 
only  worship  the  Great  Spirit  through  them. 

They  have  no  regular  periodical  times  either  of  pri 
vate  or  public  religious  worship.  They  have  neither 
temples,  altars,  stated  ministers  of  religion,  nor  regular 
sacrifices ;  for  the  jugglers  are  connected  rather  with 
the  medical  art  than  with  religious  services.  The  In 
dians  in  general,  like  other  ignorant  people,  are  be 
lievers  in  witchcraft,  and  think  many  of  their  diseases 
proceed  from  the  arts  of  sorcerers.  These  arts  the  jug 
glers  pretend  to  counteract,  as  well  as  to  cure  natural 
diseases.  They  also  pretend  to  predict  the  weather  and 
to  make  rain ;  and  much  confidence  is  placed  in  their 
prognostications  and  their  power. 

The  devotional  exercises  of  the  Indians  consist  in 
singing,  dancing,  and  performing  various  mystical  cere 
monies,  which  they  believe  efficacious  in  healing  the 
sick,  frustrating  the  designs  of  their  enemies,  and  se 
curing  their  own  success.  They  often  offer  up  to  the 
Great  Spirit  a  part  of  the  game  first  taken  in  a  hunting 


RELIGION.  29 

expedition,  a  part  of  the  first  produce  of  their  fields, 
and  a  part  of  their  food.  At  a  feast,  they  first  throw 
some  of  the  broth,  and  then  of  the  meat,  into  the  fire. 
In  smoking,  they  generally  testify  their  reverence  for 
the  Master  of  life,  by  directing  the  first  puff  upwards, 
and  the  second  downwards,  or  the  first  to  the  rising, 
and  the  second  to  the  setting  sun :  at  other  times  they 
turn  the  pipe  to  every  point  of  the  compass. 

They  firmly  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  in  a  state  of  future  retribution :  but  their  concep 
tions  on  these  subjects  are  modified  and  tinged  by  their 
occupations  in  life,  and  by  their  notions  of  good  and  evil. 
They  suppose  the  spirit  retains  the  same  inclinations  as 
when  in  the  body,  and  rejoices  in  its  old  pursuits.  At 
times,  an  Indian  warrior,  when  about  to  kill  and  scalp 
a  prostrate  enemy,  addresses  him  in  such  terms  as  the 
following :  — 

"  My  name  is  Cashegra :  I  am  a  famous  warrior, 
and  am  going  to  kill  you.  When  you  reach  the  land 
of  spirits,  you  will  see  the  ghost  of  my  father :  tell  him 
it  was  Cashegra  sent  you  there."  The  uplifted  toma 
hawk  then  descends  upon  his  victim. 

The  *Mandans  expected,  when  they  died,  to  return  to 
the  original  subterraneous  abode  of  their  fathers :  the 
good  reaching  the  ancient  village  by  means  of  the  lake, 
which  the  weight  of  the  sins  of  the  bad  will  render 
them  unable  to  pass.  They  who  have  behaved  them 
selves  well  in  this  life,  and  been  brave  warriors  and 
good  hunters,  will  be  received  into  the  town  of  brave 
and  generous  spirits;  but  the  useless  and  selfish  will 

»  The  Mandan  tribe  is  now  entirely  extinct.— Catlin. 
4 


30  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

be  doomed  to  reside  in  the  town  of  poor  and  useless 
spirits. 

The  belief  of  those  untutored  children  of  nature  has 
an  influence  on  their  conduct.  Among  them  the  grand 
defect  is,  an  erroneous  estimate  of  good  and  evil,  right 
and  wrong.  But  how  much  soever  we  may  lament  their 
errors  on  these  interesting  points,  we  need  not  be  sur 
prised  at  them ;  for  how  many,  even  in  more  enlightened 
communities,  and  with  clearer  means  of  information, 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  sounder  principles,  or  a 
better  practice  ?  A  reverential  and  grateful  sense  of  the 
divine  perfections  and  government,  manifesting  itself  by 
a  devout  regard  to  his  institutions,  and  obedience  to  his 
will,  by  benevolence,  integrity,  candour,  and  kindness 
towards  men,  and  by  sobriety  and  industry,  is  too  little 
valued  and  practised  by  many  who  enjoy  the  light  of 
revelation.  Hitherto  the  Indians  have  learned  little  but 
vice  by  their  intercourse  with  white  men. 

Although  they  have  no  regular  system  of  religious 
worship,  yet  they  have  many  superstitious  notions ; 
some  of  them  of  a  more  general,  others  of  a  more  local 
nature.  The  Mandans  had  their  medicine  stone,  which 
was  their  great  oracle ;  and  they  believed  w7ith  implicit 
confidence  whatever  it  announced.  Every  spring,  and 
occasionally  during  summer,  a  deputation,  accompanied 
by  jugglers,  magicians,  or  conjurors,  visited  the  sacred 
spot,  where  there  is  a  large  stone,  about  twenty  feet  in 
circumference,  with  a  smooth  surface :  there  the  depu 
ties  smoked,  taking  a  few  whiffs  themselves,  and  then 
ceremoniously  offering  the  pipe  to  the  stone.  They  left 
their  presents,  and  withdrew  to  some  distance  during 
the  night.  Before  morning  the  presents  disappeared, 
the  Great  Spirit  having,  according  to  their  belief,  taken 


RELIGION.  31 

them  away ;  and  they  read  the  destinies  of  their  nation 
in  some  marks  on  the  stone,  which  the  jugglers,  who 
made  them,  and  secretly  managed  the  whole  transaction, 
could  easily  decipher.  The  Minnetarees  have  also  a 
stone  of  the  same  kind. 

On  the  northern  bank  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Mis 
souri  there  is  a  singular  range  of  rocks,  rising  almost 
perpendicularly  about  200  or  300  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  river.  These  rocks  the  Indians  call  Manitou; 
and  on  or  near  them  the  neighbouring  nations  deposit 
most  of  their  offerings  to  the  Great  Spirit  or  Father  of 
Life ;  because  they  imagine  he  either  inhabits  or  fre 
quently  visits  those  rocks,  and  offerings  presented  there 
will  sooner  attract  his  notice  and  gain  his  favour  than 
any  where  else.  Those  offerings  consist  of  various 
articles,  among  which  eagles'  feathers  are  held  in  high 
est  estimation ;  and  they  are  presented  in  order  to  obtain 
success  in  war  or  hunting. 

They  believe  also  in  the  existence  of  evil  spirits ; 
but  think  these  malevolent  beings  gratify  their  malignity 
chiefly  by  driving  away  the  game,  preventing  the  effi 
cacy  of  medicine,  or  similar  injuries.  But  they  do  not 
always  confine  their  operations  to  such  petty  mischiefs » 
for  Mackenzie,  in  his  first  voyage,  was  warned  of  a 
manitou,  or  spirit,  behind  a  neighbouring  island,  which 
swallowed  up  every  person  who  approached  it:  and, 
near  the  White  Stone  river  of  the  Missouri  there  is  an 
oblong  mound,  about  seventy  feet  high,  called  by  the 
Indians  the  Mountain  of  Little  people,  or  Little  Spirits, 
which  are  supposed  to  be  malignant  beings  in  human 
shape,  about  eighteen  inches  high,  with  remarkably 
large  heads.  They  are  provided  with  sharp  arrows,  in 
the  use  of  which  they  are  very  expert ;  and  they  are 


32  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

always  on  the  watch  to  kill  those  who  approach  the 
mountain  of  their  residence.  The  tradition  is  that  many 
persons  have  fallen  victims  to  their  malevolence ;  and 
such  is  the  terror  of  them  among  the  neighbouring 
nations,  that  on  no  consideration  will  they  approach  the 
mound. 

GOVERNMENT. 

Among  the  Indians,  society  is  in  the  loosest  state  in 
which  it  can  possibly  exist.  They  have  no  regular 
magistrates,  no  laws,  no  tribunals,  to  protect  the  weak 
or  punish  the  guilty.  Every  man  must  assert  his  own 
rights,  and  avenge  his  own  wrongs.  He  is  neither 
restrained  nor  protected  by  any  thing  but  a  sense  of 
shame,  and  the  approbation  or  disapprobation  of  his 
tribe.  He  acknowledges  no  master,  and  submits  to  no 
superior  authority  ;  so  that  an  Indian  community  seems 
like  a  mound  of  sand  on  the  sea-shore,  which  one  gale 
has  accumulated,  and  which  the  next  may  disperse. 

But,  amid  this  apparent  disunion,  the  Indian  is  strong 
ly  attached  to  his  nation.  He  is  jealous  of  its  honour, 
proud  of  its  success,  and  zealous  for  its  welfare.  Guided 
by  a  few  traditionary  notions,  and  by  the  opinion  and 
example  of  those  around  him,  he  is  ready  to  exert  all 
his  energies,  and  sacrifice  even  life  itself  for  his  country. 
Here  sentiment  and  habit  do  more  than  wise  laws  can 
elsewhere  accomplish. 

Where  all  are  equally  poor,  the  distinctions  founded 
on  wealth  cannot  exist;  and  among  a  people  where 
experience  is  the  only  source  of  knowledge,  the  aged 
men  are  naturally  the  sages  of  the  nation.  Surrounded 
by  enemies,  and  exposed  to  continual  peril,  the  strongest, 
boldest,  and  most  successful  warrior,  is  highly  respected; 
and  the  influence  gained  in  youth  by  courage  and  enter- 


INDIAN  CHIEFS. 


Page  82. 


GOVERNMENT.  83 

prise  is  often  retained  in  old  age  by  wisdom  and  elo 
quence.  In  many  of  the  tribes,  the  sachems  or  chiefs 
have  a  sort  of  hereditary  rank  ;  but,  in  order  to  main 
tain  it,  they  must  conciliate  the  good  will  of  the  most 
influential  persons  of  the  community.  They  have 
nothing  like  monarchial  revenues,  pomp,  or  authority; 
but  maintain  their  distinction  by  bravery,  good  conduct, 
and  generosity. 

The  most  important  concerns  of  the  tribe  are  dis 
cussed  in  a  council  composed  of  the  chiefs  and  warriors, 
in  which  the  principal  chief  presides.  Every  member 
delivers  his  opinion  with  freedom,  and  is  heard  with 
attention.  Their  proceedings  are  considered  sacred,  and 
are  kept  a  profound  secret,  unless  it  be  thought  the  pub 
lic  good  requires  a  disclosure.  In  that  case  the  decision, 
with  the  reasons  on  which  it  is  founded,  is  published  by 
a  member  of  the  council,  who  recommends  a  compliance 
with  it.  In  the  stillness  of  the  morning  or  evening  this 
herald  marches  through  the  village,  solemnly  communi 
cating  the  information,  and  giving  suitable  exhortations. 
He  also  instructs  the  young  men  and  children  how  to 
behave,  in  order  to  gain  the  esteem  of  good  men,  and 
the  approbation  of  the  Good  Spirit. 

The  authority  of  the  chiefs  and  warriors  is  hortatory 
rather  than  coercive.  They  have  influence  to  persuade, 
but  not  power  to  compel.  They  are  rather  respected  as 
parents  and  friends,  than  feared  and  obeyed  as  superiors. 
The  chief  is  merely  the  most  confidential  person  among 
the  warriors  ;  neither  installed  with  any  ceremony,  nor 
distinguished  by  any  badge.  He  may  recommend,  or 
advise,  or  influence ;  but  he  has  no  power  to  enforce  his 
commands,  or  to  punish  disobedience.  In  many  of  the 
tribes  he  gradually  acquires  his  rank  by  his  own  supe- 

C 


34  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

rior  merit,  and  the  good  opinion  of  his  companions , 
and  he  may  lose  his  authority  as  he  gained  it. 

The  people  commonly  settle  their  controversies  among 
themselves,  and  do  not  apply  to  their  chiefs,  except  for 
advice.  In  some  of  the  tribes  peace  is  preserved,  and 
punishment  inflicted  in  a  very  summary  manner  by  offi 
cers  appointed  by  the  chief  for  that  purpose.  These 
officers  are  distinguished  by  having  their  bodies  black 
ened,  and  by  having  two  or  three  ravens'  skins  fixed  in 
their  girdles  behind,  so  that  the  tails  project  horizontally. 
They  have  also  a  raven's  skin,  with  the  tail  projecting 
from  their  forehead.  These  officers,  of  whom  there 
are  two  or  three  in  a  village,  and  who  are  frequently 
changed,  beat  any  person  whom  they  find  acting  in  a 
disorderly  manner.  Their  authority  is  held  sacred,  and 
none  dares  resist  them.  They  often  attend  the  chief, 
and  consider  it  a  point  of  honour  to  execute  his  orders 
at  any  risk. 

ELOaUENCE. 

The  eloquence  of  the  Indian  orators  occasionally  dis 
plays  itself  in  strong  and  figurative  expressions,  accom 
panied  with  violent  but  not  unnatural  gesticulations, 
Many  of  their  speeches  are  on  record ;  and  we  shall 
give  two  of  them,  as  a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which 
these  untaught  children  of  nature  express  themselves. 

The  first  is  that  of  Logan.  In  the  year  1774,  the 
family  of  Logan,  a  distinguished  chief,  who  had  always 
been  friendly  to  white  men,  was  inhumanly  massacred 
by  a  detachment  of  Virginia  militia,  acting  under  British 
authority.  Logan  was  highly  exaspej&ted,  and  joined 
the  hostile  tribes.  The  Indians  were  defeated,  and  com 
pelled  to  sue  for  peace.  But  Logan  scorned  to  be  seen 
among  the  suppliants.  Lest,  however,  the  sincerity  of  a 


ELOQUENCE.  35 

treaty  from  which  such  an  eminent  chief  absented  him 
self  should  be  suspected,  he  sent  the  following  speech, 
by  general  Gibson,  to  Lord  Dunmore,  governor  of  the 
province : — "  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say  if  ever 
he  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  no 
meat ;  if  ever  he  came  cold  and  naked  and  he  clothed 
him  not.  During  the  course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody 
war,  Logan  remained  idle  in  his  lodge,  the  advocate  of 
peace.  Such  was  my  love  of  the  whites,  that  my  coun 
trymen  pointed  at  me  as  they  passed,  and  said,  *  Logan 
is  the  friend  of  white  men.'  I  had  even  thought  to  have 
lived  with  you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Last 
spring,  colonel  Cresap,  in  cold  blood,  and  unprovoked, 
murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not  sparing  even 
my  women  and  children.  There  runs  not  a  drop  of  my 
blood  in  the  veins  of  any  living  creature.  This  called 
on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought  it.  I  have  killed 
many.  I  have  glutted  my  vengeance.  For  my  country 
I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do  not  think  mine 
is  the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  Logan  will 
not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to 
mourn  the  death  of  Logan  ?  Not  one." 

The  second  speech  is  that  of  a  Pawnee  chief,  named 
Sharitarouish ;  and  we  introduce  it  merely  because  it  is 
recent,  having  been  addressed  to  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  in  council,  on  the  4th  of  February,  1822 ; 
and  because  the  chief  who  delivered  it,  on  ae< 
his  remote  situation,  could  have  had  Ii 
with  white  men,  having  been,  along  v 
conducted  from  the  banks  of  the  Platte 
by  major  O'Fallon,  agent  of  the  State; 
dians  of  the  Missouri.    He  spoke  to  the 
follows :— 


36  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

"  My  great  father,  I  have  travelled  a  great  way  to  see 
you:  I  have  seen  you,  and  my  heart  rejoices.  I  have 
heard  your  words :  they  have  entered  one  ear,  and  shall 
not  escape  by  the  other.  I  will  carry  them  to  my  people 
as  pure  as  they  came  from  your  mouth. 

"  My  great  father,  I  am  going  to  speak  the  truth.  The 
Great  Spirit  looks  down  upon  us ;  and  I  call  him  to 
witness  all  that  may  pass  between  us  on  this  occasion. 
If  I  am  here  now,  and  have  seen  your  people,  your 
houses,  your  vessels  on  the  big  lake,  and  a  great  many 
wonderful  things,  far  beyond  my  comprehension,  which 
appear  to  have  been  made  by  the  Great  Spirit,  and 
placed  in  your  hands,  I  am  indebted  to  my  father  here, 
(pointing  to  major  O'Fallon,)  who  invited  me  from  home, 
and  under  whose  wings  I  have  been  protected.     Yes, 
my  great  father,  I  have  travelled  with  your  chief;  I 
,have  followed  him,  and  trodden  in  his  tracks.    But  there 
is  still  another  great  Father,  to  whom  I  am  much  in 
debted.     HE  is  the  Father  of  us  all.    He  made  us,  and 
placed  us  on  this  earth.     I  feel  grateful  to  the  Great 
Spirit  for  strengthening  my  heart  for  such  an  under 
taking,  and  for  preserving  the  life  which  he  gave  me. 
The  Great  Spirit  made  us  all.     He  made  my  skin  red, 
and  yours  white.     He  placed  us  on  this  earth,  and  in 
tended  that  we  should  live  differently  from  each  other. 
He  made  the  whites  to  cultivate  the  earth,  and  feed  on 
'-tic  animals ;  but  he  made  us  red  skins  to  rove 
uifivated  woods  and  plains,  to  feed  on 
o  clothe  ourselves  with  their  skins. 
o  that  we  should  go  to  war,  take  scalps, 
s  from  our  enemies,  and  triumph  over  them, 
mid  cultivate  peace  at  home,  and  pro- 
•iness  of  each  other.     I  believe  there  are 


ELOQUENCE.  37 

no  people,  of  any  colour,  on  earth,  who  do  not  believe 
in  the  Great  Spirit,  and  in  rewards  and  punishments. 
We  worship  HIM  :  but  we  worship  him  not  as  you  do. 
We  differ  from  you  in  appearance  and  manners,  as  well 
as  in  our  customs ;  and  we  differ  from  you  in  our  reli 
gion.  We  have  no  large  houses,  as  you  have,  to  wor 
ship  the  Great  Spirit  in.  If  we  had  them  to-day,  we 
should  want  them  to-morrow ;  for  we  have  not,  like  you, 
a  fixed  habitation.  We  have  no  settled  home,  except 
our  villages,  where  we  remain  but  two  moons  in  twelve. 
We,  like  the  animals,  rove  through  the  country ;  while 
you  whites  reside  between  us  and  heaven.  But  still, 
my  great  father,  we  love  the  Great  Spirit ;  we  acknow 
ledge  his  supreme  power.  Our  peace,  health,  and 
happiness  depend  upon  him ;  and  our  lives  belong  to 
him.  He  made  us,  and  he  can  destroy  us. 

"  My  great  father,  some  of  your  good  chiefs,  as  they 
are  called  (the  missionaries),  have  proposed  to  send  some 
of  their  good  people  among  us,  to  change  our  habits,  to 
make  us  work,  and  live  like  the  white  people.  I  will  not 
tell  a  lie ;  I  am  going  to  speak  the  truth.  You  love  your 
country ;  you  love  your  people ;  you  love  the  manner  in 
which  they  live  :  and  you  think  your  people  brave.  I 
am  like  you,  my  great  father :  I  love  my  country ;  I 
love  my  people  ;'  I  love  the  manner  in  which  we  live ; 
and  I  think  myself  and  my  warriors  brave.  Spare  me, 
then,  my  father ;  let  me  enjoy  my  country,  and  pursue 
the  buffalo  and  the  beaver,  and  otner  wild  animals ;  and 
with  their  skins  I  will  trade  with  your  people.  I  have 
grown  up,  and  lived  thus  long,  without  working :  I  hope 
you  will  suffer  me  to  die  without  it.  We  have  plenty 
of  buffalo,  beaver,  deer,  and  other  wild  animals ;  we 
have  also  abundance  of  horses ;  we  have  every  thing 


38  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

we  want ;  we  have  plenty  of  land,  if  you  will  keep  your 
people  off  it.  My  father  (Major  O'Fallon)  has  a  piece 
of  land,  on  which  he  lives  (Council  Bluffs),  and  we  wish 
him  to  enjoy  it :  we  have  enough  without  it.  We  wish 
him  to  live  near  us,  to  give  us  good  counsel,  to  keep 
our  ears  and  eyes  open,  that  we  may  continue  to  pursue 
the  right  road,  the  road  to  happiness.  He  settles  all 
differences  between  us  and  the  whites,  and  between  the 
red  skins  themselves.  He  makes  the  red  skins  do  jus 
tice  to  the  whites;  he  saves  the  effusion  -of  human 
blood ;  and  preserves  peace  and  happiness  in  the  land. 
You  have  already  sent  us  a  father.  It  is  enough.  He 
knows  us,  and  we  know  him ;  we  have  confidence  in 
him ;  we  keep  our  eye  constantly  upon  him ;  and  since 
we  have  heard  your  words  we  will  listen  more  atten 
tively  to  his. 

"  It  is  too  soon,  my  great  father,  to  send  these  good 
men  among  us.  We  are  not  starving  yet;  we  wish 
you  to  permit  us  to  enjoy  the  chase  until  the  game  of 
our  country  be  exhausted ;  until  the  wild  animals  be 
come  extinct.  Let  us  exhaust  our  present  resources, 
before  you  make  us  toil  and  interrupt  our  happiness. 
Let  me  continue  to  live  as  I  have  done ;  and  after  I 
have  passed  to  the  Good  or  Evil  Spirit  from  off  the 
wilderness  of  my  present  life,  the  subsistence  of  my 
children  may  become  so  precarious  as  to  need  and 
embrace  the  assistance  of  those  good  people. 

"There  was  a  time  when  we  did  not  know  the 
whites.  Our  wants  were  then  fewer  than  they  are 
now ;  they  were  always  within  our  control ;  we  had 
seen  nothing  which  we  could  not  get.  Before  our 
intercourse  with  the  whites,  who  have  caused  such  a 
destruction  in  our  game,  we  could  lie  down  to  sleep, 


WAR,  CUSTOMS,  ARMS,  &r,  39 

and  when  we  awoke,  we  found  the  buffalo  feeding 
lound  our  camp:  but  now  we  kill  them  for  their  skins, 
and  feed  the  wolves  with  their  flesh,  to  make  our  chil 
dren  cry  over  their  bones. 

"  Here,  my  great  father,  is  a  pipe,  which  I  present 
you,  as  I  am  accustomed  to  present  pipes  to  all  the  red 
skins  in  peace  with  us.  It  is  filled  with  such  tobacco 
as  we  were  accustomed  to  smoke  before  we  knew  the 
white  people.  It  is  pleasant,  and  the  spontaneous 
growth  of  the  most  remote  parts  of  our  country.  I 
know  that  the  robes,  leggins,  moccasins,  bear-claws, 
and  other  articles,  are  of  little  value  to  you ;  but  we 
wish  you  to  deposit  and  preserve  them  in  some  con 
spicuous  part  of  your  lodge,  so  that  when  we  are  gone 
and  the  sod  turned  over  our  bones,  if  our  children 
should  visit  this  place,  as  we  do  now,  they  may  see 
and  recognise  with  pleasure  the  deposits  of  their 
fathers,  and  reflect  on  the  times  that  are  past." 

WAR,    CUSTOMS,    ARMS,  &c. 

The  form  of  government  among  the  Indian  tribes  is 
not  sufficiently  strong  to  restrain  the  young  warriors 
from  the  commission  of  excesses  and  outrages,  which 
often  involve  the  nation  in  protracted  wars ;  and  the 
chiefs,  desirous  as  they  may  be  of  checking  those  im 
petuous  and  refractory  spirits,  have  not  the  power 

Their  wars  most  commonly  originate  in  the  stealing 
of  horses,  or  in  the  elopement  of  squaws ;  sometimes  in 
encroachments  on  theif  hunting  grounds,  or  in  the  pro 
secution  of  old  quarrels,  and  the  desire  of  avenging  the 
murder  of  relations.  These  wars  are  conducted  in  a 
predatory  manner. 


40  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

A  single  warrior  sometimes  undertakes  an  expedition 
against  the  enemy ;  but,  in  cases  of  great  provocation,, 
the  whole  tribe  engages  in  the  enterprise,  under  the 
conduct  of  the  principal  chief.  Even  in  this  case,  how 
ever,  none  but  volunteers  join  the  army:  no  one  ia 
obliged  to  march  against  his  will. 

War  is  often  carried  on  by  a  small  predatory  party, 
formed  by  the  influence  of  some  approved  warrior. 
This  warrior  paints  himself  with  white  clay,  and 
marches  through  the  village,  crying  aloud  to  the  Wah- 
conda,  or  Father  of  life,  and  entreating  the  young  war 
riors  of  the  nation  to  have  pity  on  him,  and  to  accom 
pany  him  in  an  expedition  against  their  enemies.  He 
gives  a  feast  to  those  who  are  willing  to  follow  him ; 
and  it  is  distinctly  understood  that  they  who  partake 
of  his  hospitality,  pledge  themselves  to  be  partners  in 
his  enterprise.  At  the  feast,  he  harangues  them,  and 
tells  them  they  must  gain  celebrity  by  their  martial 
prowess.  This  leader  of  the  party,  to  whom  the  French 
gave  the  name  of  partisan,  busies  himself,  before  setting 
out,  in  making  medicine,  hanging  out  his  medicine  bag, 
fasting,  attending  to  his  dreams,  and  other  superstitious 
observances.  On  the  medicine  bag  much  reliance  is 
placed  for  the  successful  termination  of  the  adventure. 
It  usually  contains  the  skin  of  a  sparrow-hawk,  and  a 
number  of  small  articles,  such  as  wampum  beads  and 
tobacco,  all  attached  to  a  belt,  neatly  enveloped  in  bark, 
and  tied  round  with  strings  of  the  same  material.  It  is 
of  a  cylindrical  shape,  about  one,  or  sometimes  two 
feet  long,  and  is  suspended  on  the  back  of  the  partisan 
by  its  belt,  which  passes  round  his  neck.  The  mocca 
sins,  leggins,  and  arms  of  the  party  are  put  in  order, 


WAR,  CUSTOMS,  ARMS.  41 

and  each  warrior  furnishes  himself  with  some  provi 
sions. 

With  the  partisan  at  their  head,  the  party  set  out, 
march  cautiously,  following  each  other  in  aline,  at.  a 
distance  of  two  or  three  paces,  often  treading  in  each 
other's  footsteps,  that  their  number  may  not  be  disco 
vered  ;  and  they  send  out  spies  to  explore  their  route. 
They  easily  find  out  whether  any  persons  have  lately 
passed  the  same  way,  by  discerning  their  footsteps  on 
the  grass ;  and  as  they  have  to  deal  with  people  whose 
organs  of  sense  are  as  acute  as  their  own,  they  are. 
careful,  as  far  as  possible,  to  conceal  their  own  tracks. 
On  halting,  the  medicine  bag  is  not  allowed  to  touch 
the  ground,  but  is  suspended  on  a  forked  stick,  firmly 
fixed  in  the  earth  for  that  purpose.  They  smoke  to  it, 
occasionally  turning  the  stem  of  the  pipe  towards  it, 
towards  the  heavens,  and  towards  the  earth.  The  par 
tisan  carefully  attends  to  his  dreams,  and,  if  he  think 
them  ominous  of  evil,  he  at  times  abandons  the  en 
terprise. 

When  the  spies  bring  information  that  they  are  near 
the  enemy,  the  partisan  opens  his  medicine  bag,  re 
moves  its  barky  envelope,  and  suspends  the  contents 
from  his  neck,  with  the  bird  skin,  wampum,  and  other 
articles,  hanging  down  on  his  breast.  This  is  the  sig 
nal  to  prepare  for  action.  If  they  have  time,  they  paint 
themselves,  and  smoke;  they  also  paint  their  shields 
with  rude  representations  of  the  objects  on  which  they 
rely  for  success.  The  partisan  gives  the  order  to  ad 
vance,  and  they  move  on  with  cautious  steps,  as  their 
great  aim  is  to  fall  upon  the  enemy  by  surprise.  If  they 
succeed  in  this,  the  attack  begins  with  the  horrible  yell 
of  the  war  whoop.  This  is  their  only  martial  music. 
5 


42  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

They  kill  indiscriminately  all  who  fall  in  their  way ;  but 
if  discovered,  they  either  make  a  hasty  retreat,  or  rush 
to  the  attack  with  impetuous  but  disorderly  fury.  If  in 
the  forest,  they  shelter  themselves  behind  trees ;  if  on 
open  ground,  they  leap  nimbly  from  side  to  side,  to  pre 
vent  the  enemy  from  taking  a  steady  aim,  and  cover 
themselves  with  their  bucklers. 

It  is  not  the  mere  killing  of  an  enemy  that  confers 
the  highest  honour  on  an  Indian  warrior,  but  the 
striking  the  body  of  his  fallen  foe  on  the  field  of  battle, 
and  in  presence  of  his  friends,  who  are  eager  to  avenge 
his  death.  Scalping  is  an  act  of  no  small  celebrity  in 
Indian  warfare ;  and,  in  performing  it,  the  victor  sets 
one  foot  on  the  neck  of  his  dead  or  disabled  enemy,  en 
twines  one  hand  in  his  hair,  and,  by  a  few  slashes  of 
the  scalping-knife  in  his  other,  round  the  top  of  the 
head,  is  enabled  to  pull  off  the  skin  with  the  hair.  Car 
rying  away  the  scalp  is  simply  a  mark  of  victory :  the 
taking  of  prisoners  is  reckoned  a  high  honour. 

The  wounded  of  the  vanquished  party  are  killed  by 
the  conquerors  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  their  bodies 
shockingly  mangled ;  the  squaws  so  far  overcoming  by 
habit  the  tender  feelings  of  the  female  breast  as  to  take 
an  active  part  in  the  inhuman  scene. 

In  his  lodge,  the  Indian  is  indolent,  sedate,  and  appa 
rently  callous ;  but  in  hunting,  or  in  quest  of  an  enemy, 
he  is  keen,  indefatigable,  persevering :  on  the  field  of 
battle  he  seems  an  infuriated  demon :  so  different  are 
his  appearances  in  different  circumstances.  The  vic 
torious  party  bury  their  dead,  or  cover  them  with  bushes 
or  stones.  They  remove  their  wounded  in  litters,  borne 
on  men's  shoulders ;  or,  if  they  have  horses,  on  a  car 
of  two  shafts,  with  a  buffalo  skin  stretched  between 


SCALPING. 


Page  42. 


WAR,  CUSTOMS,  ARMS.  43 

them.  They  return  rapidly  to  their  village,  and  com 
monly  halt  on  some  elevated  ground  in  its  vicinity 
Their  friends,  eager  to  be  informed  of  the  particulars 
of  the  expedition,  hasten  to  meet  them.  The  party  en 
ters  the  village  with  savage  pomp,  ostentatiously  ex 
hibiting  the  scalps  which  they  have  taken  raised  on 
poles.  Many  of  the  warriors  bear  the  mark  indicative 
of  having  drunk  the  blood  of  an  enemy.  This  consists 
in  rubbing  the  hand  all  over  with  vermilion,  and  then 
pressing  it  on  the  face  and  mouth,  so  as  to  leave  a  com 
plete  impression.  On  those  occasions,  the  wives  of  the 
warriors  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  enterprise  attire 
themselves  in  the  dress  of  their  husbands,  and,  with 
rods  in  their  hands,  to  which  the  scalps  that  have  been 
taken  are  attached,  dance  round  a  large  red  post,  and, 
in  concert  with  the  young  warriors,  sing  the  war  and 
scalp  songs.  This  barbarous  dance,  which  is  repeated 
every  night  for  some  weeks,,  is  charming  to  the  squaws ; 
a  circumstance  which  shows  how  far  the  human  char 
acter  may  be  perverted  by  fashion  and  habit. 

The  Indians  dance  and  sing  at  the  same  time :  they 
have,  however,  but  little  grace  or  variety  in  their  move 
ments,  and  little  music  in  their  notes.  Their  musical 
instruments  are  a  sort  of  drum,  and  a  rattle  or  skin 
bag,  with  small  shot  or  pebbles  in  it,  which  makes  a 
noise  when  shaken. 

It  is  dangerous  to  meet  a  disappointed  or  defeated 
war  party  on  its  return,  as  the  warriors  are  apt  to  in 
demnify  themselves  for  any  disappointment,  defeat,  01 
loss  they  may  have  sustained,  by  taking  the  property 
and  scalps  of  the  first  weak  or  unguarded  party  they 
may  encounter. 

No  offence  against  society  is  inquired  into  by  the 


44  4NDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

chiefs :  stealing  from  one  ot  their  own  tribe,  which  is 
very  rare,  exposes  the  thief  to  contempt ;  but  cowardice 
is  marked  by  the  highest  reprobation.  When  they  go 
to  war,  they  keep  a  watchful  eye  on  such  of  the  young 
men  as  are  making  their  first  essay  in  arms.  If  they 
display  the  necessary  qualifications,  they  are  in  due 
time  admitted  to  the  rank  of  warriors,  or,  as  they  ex 
press  it,  of  braves,  or  brave  men.  But  if  any  give  clear 
indications  of  cowardice,  on  the  return  of  the  party 
they  are  treated  with  neglect  and  contempt.  A  coward 
is  at  times  punished  even  with  death.  « 

The  female  prisoners  are  made  slaves,  a  condition 
scarcely  worse  than  that  of  the  other  squaws.  The 
young  male  prisoners  are  often  adopted  by  the  families 
of  the  tribe  which  have  taken  them,  and  supply  the 
place  of  the  members  that  have  fallen  in  the  expedi 
tion.  Sometimes,  on  returning  to  their  village,  the  party 
show  their  prisoner  a  painted  red  post,  distant  from 
twenty  to  forty  yards,  and  bid  him  run  and  lay  hold  of 
it.  On  each  side  of  his  course  stand  men  and  women 
with  axes,  sticks,  and  other  offensive  weapons,  ready  to 
strike  him  as  he  passes.  If  he  instantly  spring  forward 
with  agility,  he  may  perhaps  reach  the  post  without  re 
ceiving  a  stroke,  and  is  then  safe,  till  a  general  council 
of  the  warriors  determine  his  fate ;  but  if  he  fall,  he  is 
generally  dispatched. 

If  the  prisoner  be  rejected  by  the  family  to  which  he 
is  offered,  he  is  then  put  to  death  with  every  circum 
stance  of  cruelty ;  and  the  constancy  and  fortitude  of 
the  sufferer  are  as  remarkable  as  the  barbarity  of  his 
murderers.  The  victim,  fastened  to  a  stake,  sings  his 
death  song,  insults  his  tormentors,  bears  with  unshrink- 
ng  firmness  the  most  dreadful  tortures,  and  expiies 


WAR,  CUSTOMS,  ARMS.  45 

without  a  groan.  He  triumphs  in  his  fortitude,  not 
merely  as  a  personal  virtue,  but  chiefly  as  a  national 
characteristic.  We  are  to  seek  the  cause  of  this  patient 
endurance  of  the  most  excruciating  pains,  not  in  any 
nervous  insensibility,  any  constitutional  apathy,  any 
muscular  rigidity  of  the  Indian,  but  in  the  sentiments 
which  he  has  imbibed,  and  the  habits  to  which  he  has 
been  trained.  He  has  been  taught,  from  infancy,  to 
consider  courage  and  fortitude  as  the  glory  of  man ;  to 
endure  privations  and  pain  without  a  murmur,  and  with 
an  unsubdued  heart,  and  to  despise  tortures  and  death  ; 
and,  in  his  last  moments,  he  proves  the  efficacy  of  the 
education  which  he  has  received.  In  these  tragical 
scenes  the  women  often  take  an  active  part ;  and  their 
inhumanity,  like  the  fortitude  of  the  men,  springs  from 
education. 

Previous  to  their  intercourse  with  Europeans,  the 
arms  of  the  Indians  were  bows  and  arrows,  spears, 
tomahawks,  scalping  knives,  and  war  clubs.  Most  of 
them,  however,  are  now  provided  with  fire-arms  ;  and, 
being  eager  to  procure  them,  their  quantity  is  continually 
increasing.  But  the  use  of  these  original  weapons 
is  far  from  being  entirely  superseded. 

At  times  the  bow  is  formed  of  pieces  of  horn  neatly 
spliced,  but  it  is  more  commonly  made  of  wood.  For 
merly  the  arrow  was  pointed  with  flint  or  bone,  but 
now  generally  with  iron :  the  spear  is  pointed  in  a  simi 
lar  manner.  The  tomahawk  is  a  hatchet  or  war  axe. 
The  scalping  knife  is  used  to  cut  and  tear  off  the  scalp, 
or  integuments  of  the  upper  part  of  the  skull  with  the 
hair,  of  their  fallen  enemies,  which  the  Indians  display 
as  trophies  of  their  victory,  with  as  much  exultation  as 
ancient  heroes  manifested  in  showing  the  arms  of  their 


46  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

vanquished  foes.  The  head  of  the  war  club  is  globular 
and  at  times  hollow,  inclosing  pieces  of  metal,  which 
make  a  gingling  noise  when  a  stroke  is  given.  Occa 
sionally,  the  blade  of  a  knife,  or  some  other  sharp  in 
strument,  is  fastened  to  the  end  of  it  at  right  angles. 
The  tribes  who  dwell  in  the  depth  of  the  forest  have 
no  bucklers,  but  shelter  themselves  behind  trees  :  those, 
however,  who  live  in  an  open  country,  as  on  the  banks 
of  the  Missouri,  use  bucklers  or  shields  of  a  circular 
form,  about  two  feet  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  com 
posed  of  three  or  four  folds  of  buffalo's  skin,  dried  in 
the  sun  and  hardened.  These  shields  are  proof  against 
arrows,  but  not  against  ball. 

In  all  their  acts  of  devotion,  and  on  all  occasions 
where  their  confidence  is  to  be  won  or  their  friendship 
secured,  smoking  is  regarded  as  an  inviolable  token  of 
sincerity. 

The  pipe,  or  calumet,  as  some  have  called  it,  is  the 
symbol  of  peace  and  the  pledge  of  friendship.  Among 
the  rude  dwellers  of  the  desert,  it  serves  the  same  pur 
poses  as  a  flag  of  truce  in  the  armies  of  more  civilized 
communities.  The  pipe  is  about  four  feet  long;  the 
bowl  made  of  stone  or  clay,  and  the  stem  of  a  light 
wood.  It  is  differently  ornamented  in  different  nations. 
The  bearer  of  this  sacred  symbol  of  friendship  is  never 
treated  with  disrespect,  because  they  believe  the  Great 
Spirit  would  not  allow  such  an  iniquity  to  escape  with 
impunity. 

Peace  is  concluded,  and  treaties  are  ratified,  by  smok 
ing.  Wampum,  and  wampum  belts,  are  also  commonly 
used  on  such  occasions.  Wampum,  the  current  coin  of 
the  Indians,  is  formed  of  shells  found  on  the  coasts  of 
New  England  and  Virginia:  some  of  those  shells  are  of  a 


LANGUAGES  AND  GENERAL  TRAITS.        47 

purple  colour,  others  white,  but  the  former  are  leckaned 
most  valuable.  They  are  cut  into  the  shape  of  oblong 
beads,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  perforated,  and 
strung  on  a  small  leathern  thong:  several  of  these 
strings,  neatly  sewed  together  by  fine  sinewy  threads, 
form  a  belt,  consisting  of  ten,  twelve,  or  more  strings. 
The  value  of  each  bead,  and,  consequently,  of  each 
string  or  belt,  is  exactly  known.  The  size  of  the  belt, 
which  is  often  about  two  feet  long,  and  three  or  four 
inches  broad,  is  proportioned  to  the  solemnity  and  im 
portance  of  the  occasion  on  which  it  is  given.  The 
chiefs  occasionally  give  strings  to  each  other  as  tokens 
of  friendship ;  but  belts  are  reserved  for  the  ratification 
of  national  treaties,  every  stipulation  of  which  is  re 
corded  to  posterity  by  the  hieroglyphics  on  the  belt. 

Tribes  in  amity  occasionally  apply  to  each  other  for 
a  supply  of  their  wants.  When  one  tribe  is  in  need  of 
any  commodity  with  which  another  is  well  provided, 
the  needy  tribe  send  a  deputation  of  their  number  to 
smoke  with  their  wealthier  neighbours,  and  to  inform 
them  of  their  wants ;  and  it  would  be  a  breach  of  In 
dian  courtesy  to  send  them  away  without  the  expected 
supply.  What  they  smoke  is  tobacco  mixed  with  the 
leaves  of  sumach. 

The  Shoshones,  a  band  on  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
before  smoking  with  strangers,  pull  off  their  moccasins, 
in  token  of  the  sacred  sincerity  of  their  professions; 
and  by  this  act  they  not  only  testify  their  sincerity,  but 
also  imprecate  on  themselves  the  misery  of  going  bare 
footed  for  ever,  if  they  prove  unfaithful  to  their  word. 

LANGUAGES   AND  GENERAL  TRAITS. 

A  number  of  different  languages  are  spoken  by  the 


48  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Indians;  and,  in  some  cases,  different  dialects  of  the 
same  language  are  found  among  different  tribes. 

The  original  languages,  besides  that  of  the  Esqui 
maux,  are  said  to  be  principally  three, — the  Iroquois, 
the  Lenni  Lenape,  or  Delaware,  and  the  Floridian. 
These  languages  are  so  distinct,  as  to  have  no  perceiv 
able  affinity.  The  Iroquois  was  spoken  by  the  Iroquois 
or  Six  Nations,  and  several  other  tribes.  The  Iroquois, 
or  Six  Confederated  Nations,  so  famous  in  Indian  his 
tory,  and  once  so  formidable  by  their  numbers,  laws,  and 
military  prowess,  are  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Senecas, 
Cayugas,  Onondagoes,  and  Tuscaroras.  The  Delaware 
language  was  spoken  by  many  nations  in  the  middle 
provinces ;  and  the  Floridian  by  the  Creeks,  Choctaws, 
Cherokees,  Chickasaws,  and  other  tribes  in  the  southern 
states.  These  languages  are  said  to  be  copious  and 
expressive :  they  often  consist  of  long  compounds,  and 
comprise  many  ideas  in  one  word. 

In  their  intercourse  with  the  white  men  the  Indians 
adopt  none  of  their  words  or  names,  but  apply  names 
of  their  own  invention  both  to  persons  and  things. 

In  short,  in  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  North 
America,  we  find  a  race  of  men  subsisting  by  fishing, 
hunting,  and  a  partial  cultivation  of  the  soil.  They  are 
brave,  active,  shrewd,  and  penetrating;  kind  to  their 
friends,  but  vindictive  and  cruel  towards  their  enemies ; 
capable  of  making  great  and  persevering  exertions,  and 
of  enduring  the  most  excruciating  torments  without  a 
sigh  or  a  groan. 

They  believe  in  one  Great  Spirit,  the  Creator  and 
Governor  of  the  world,  on  whom  they  continually  de 
pend,  and  from  whom  all  their  enjoyments  flow.  Al 
though  they  have  no  public  or  social  worship,  yet  they 


LANGUAGES  AND  GENERAL  TRAITS.        49 

are  grateful  to  the  Great  Spirit  for  past  favours,  thank 
him  for  present  enjoyments,  and  implore  from  him  fu 
ture  blessings ;  this  they  sometimes  do  with  an  audible 
voice,  but  more  frequently  in  the  silent  aspirations  of 
the  heart.  They  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  immortality 
and  future  retribution;  but  their  conceptions  on  the 
subject  are  vague,  and  modified  by  their  peculiar  man 
ners  and  habits. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  convert  them  to 
Christianity,  but  hitherto  with  little  success.  From 
their  intercourse  with  white  men  they  have  derived  no 
advantage :  for  since  the  commencement  of  that  inter 
course  they  have  improved  neither  in  civilization  nor 
morality,  and  many  powerful  tribes  have  either  totally 
disappeared,  or  present  only  a  feeble  remnant.  The 
great  diminution  of  their  numbers  is  owing  partly  to 
war,  partly  to  the  ravages  of  small-pox,  which  seem  to 
have  been  communicated  to  them  by  white  men,  but, 
above  all,  to  the  destructive  effects  of  intoxicating  liquors 
introduced  among  them  by  Europeans,  and  which  have 
operated  like  a  pestilence  among  these  untutored  tenants 
of  the  wilderness. 


D 


CHAPTER    I. 
EARLY    INDIAN    WARS    OF    FLORIDA. 


jEFORE  any  permanent 
settlement  was  effected  in 
the  territory  at  present 
comprehended  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States, 
many  years  were  spent 
in  exploring  the  coasts 
of  the  continent,  and  in 
vainly  attempting  to  plant 
colonies  on  the  shores. 
The  English,  under  the 
command  of  the  Cabots,  were  the  first  to  discover  the 
continent  of  North  America,  and  they  were  also  the 
first  to  reconnoitre  the  coast  of  Florida,  without,  how 
ever,  attempting  a  landing.  In  endeavours  to  gain 
possession  of  the  country,  they  were  preceded  both  by 
the  Spaniards  and  the  French. 

The  first  expedition  to  the  coasts  of  Florida  was 
made  in  1512,  by  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  who  had  ac 
companied  Columbus  in  his  second  voyage.  He  had 
first  employed  his  arms  against  the  Moors,  when  they 
were  expelled  from  the  kingdom  of  Granada,  and  he 
was  afterwards  much  noticed  in  the  West  Indies,  on 
account  of  his  courage  and  abilities.  Ponce  de  Leon, 
becoming  conqueror  and  governor  of  Porto  Rico,  learnt 
from  some  Indians,  that  there  existed  towards  the  north 
a  rich  and  fertile  country,  the  waters  of  which  had  the 
property  of  restoring  youth ;  and  that  a  stream  endowed 
with  a  similar  virtue,  passed  through  the  island  of  Bim- 
ini,  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  archipelago  of  Ba- 

(50) 


DISCOVERY  OF  FLORIDA.  51 

hama.  The  old  warrior,  desiring  to  signalize  nimself 
by  new  enterprises,  and  perhaps  seduced  by  a  vain  illu 
sion,  set  out  from  Porto  Rico  with  three  ships.  He 
directed  his  course  towards  this  archipelago,  and  ex 
plored  several  islands  without  finding  this  marvellous 
stream,  and  finally  reached  the  continent,  a!  about  30 
degrees  8  minutes  of  north  latitude.  This  discovery 
took  place  on  Palm-Sunday,  and  therefore  he  gave  the 
name  of  Florida  to  the  country  he  had  discovered. 
Ponce  de  Leon  explored  from  north  to  south  all  the 
coast  of  this  country ;  he  landed  at  different  places,  and 
had  several  engagements  with  the  natives.  After  having 
sailed  round  the  southern  point  of  Florida,  and  disco 
vered  the  archipelago  of  the  Tortugas,  he  returned  to 
Porto  Rico,  still  dazzled  by  his  first  expectations.  The 
treasures  and  youth  that  he  sought,  had  escaped  him ; 
but  he  found  fame,  and  his  memory  has  been  conse 
crated  by  a  great  discovery. 

Perez  de  Ortubia  afterwards  undertook  a  voyage  for 
the  same  purpose ;  and  several  discoveries  were  made 
on  other  portions  of  this  coast,  in  1520,  by  Lucas  Vas- 
quez  de  Ayllon.  A  tempest  having  surprised  him  in  an 
expedition  against  the  Caribbees  of  the  Lucayo  islands, 
he  was  driven  to  the  eastern  coast  of  the  continent,  and 
pushed  his  discoveries  towards  the  north,  till  he  arrived 
at  Cape  St.  Helena :  he  formed  no  settlement  here,  and 
the  only  result  of  his  voyage  was  the  kidnapping  of 
thirty  Indians,  whom  he  took  to  Hayti,  where  they  were 
compelled  to  labour  in  the  mines,  and  they  all  soon  died 
of  sorrow  and  fatigue. 

To  fill  the  place  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this 
island  and  those  of  Cuba,  who  had  nearly  all  been  de 
stroyed  by  the  conquerors,  they  often  fitted  out  slave 
expeditions  for  the  Caribbean  archipelago ;  and  when 
the  continent  was  discovered,  this  species  of  piracy 
was  practised  on  its  shores,  till  they  finally  transported 
its  bloody  theatre  to  the  shores  of  Africa. 

Ponce  de  Leon  for  some  years  had  appeared  to  re 
nounce  his  spirit  of  discovery,  when  the  report  of  the  ex 
ploits  of  Ferdinand  Cortez,  the  conqueror  of  Mexico,  re- 
6 


52  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

animated  his  ambition.  Moreover,  the  recent  discoveries 
of  Vasquez  de  Ayllon  had  acquainted  him  with  the  vast 
extent  of  Florida ;  for  this  name  was  applied,  one  after 
another,  to  all  the  adjoining  countries.  Ponce  de  Leon 
set  out  in  1521,  with  two  ships  equipped  at  his  own  ex 
pense,  to  form  a  settlement  in  this  country ;  but  the  In 
dians  advanced  against  him:  most  of  his  men  were 
killed ;  he  himself  having  been  wounded  by  an  arrow, 
was  compelled  to  return  to  his  ship,  and  he  set  sail  for 
Cuba,  where  he  died  some  days  after  his  arrival. 

A  new  expedition  was  fitted  out  in  1524,  by  Vasquez 
de  Ayllon ;  but  he  could  not  even  reach  the  cape  he  had 
discovered  on  his  first  voyage.  The  Indians  on  the 
coast  where  he  landed  made  a  pretended  feast,  to  draw 
a  party  of  his  soldiers  into  the  interior  of  the  country ; 
two  hundred  men  were  killed  there ;  the  others  were 
assailed  on  the  shore,  and  Vasquez  de  Ayllon  himself 
fell  under  the  blows  of  the  Indians.  All  the  surround 
ing  tribes  sought  to  repulse  the  Europeans :  the  report 
of  the  piracies  committed  on  the  shore,  was  spread 
throughout  the  country :  the  Indians  were  enraged,  and 
they  seized  this  occasion  to  take  revenge. 

The  eastern  coast  only  of  Florida  had  as  yet  been 
explored ;  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez  took  another  direction. 
This  ancient  rival  of  Ferdinand  Cortez  was  already 
celebrated  by  his  unfortunate  expedition  to  Mexico ;  he 
now  wished  to  repair  nobly  his  disgrace,  and  signalize 
himself  in  his  turn,  by  discoveries.  The  squadron  which 
he  equipped  at  Cadiz,  set  sail  in  1527,  touched  at  the 
island  of  Cuba,  and  sailing  towards  the  north,  disco 
vered  the  bay  of  Pensacola,  where  it  came  to  anchor 
in  the  month  of  April,  1528.  Narvaez  had  with  him 
three  hundred  men,  forty  of  whom  were  cavalry :  he 
penetrated  into  the  interior  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
and  to  gain  the  high  region  of  the  Apalachees,  he  had 
to  surmount  every  obstacle  that  a  wild  country  can  op 
pose  to  communication.  The  immense  plains  that  ex 
tended  to  the  foot  of  these  mountains  were  covered 
with  thick  forests,  and  they  had  great  difficulty  in 
making  a  passage  through  the  confused  remains  of  trees 


EXPEDITION  OF  NARVAEZ.  53 

overturned  by  hurricanes,  broken  in  pieces  by  lightning, 
or  fallen  from  age :  marshes,  and  small  puddles  gf  stag 
nant  water  in  which  these  ruins  ot  vegetation  were 
heaped  up,  occupied  all  the  lower  ground.  In  one  place 
the  waters  found  no  emission ;  in  another,  it  was  neces 
sary  to  overcome  deep  and  rapid  rivers,  either  by 
swimming,  by  rafts,  or  by  canoes  hastily  constructed. 
They  met  with  several  Indian  wigwams  surrounded  by 
their  plantations  of  maize;  but  more  frequently  they 
were  in  deserts  that  offered  no  means  of  subsistence; 
and  when  they  arrived  at  the  Apalachees  they  found 
neither  the  p'enty  nor  riches  which  they  came  to  seek. 
Narvae£»  exposed  to  frequent  attacks  from  the  Indians, 
who  were  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  which  they 
used  with  as  much  skill  as  strength,  was  not  able  to 
remain  in  their  country.  He  returned  to  the  sea-shore, 
and  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  Apalachicola.  This 
voyage  had  lasted  three  months :  the  boats  they  had 
then  to  construct  were  not  ready  till  the  20th  of  Sep 
tember,  and  by  going  to  sea  immediately,  they  were  ex 
posed  to  the  violent  hurricanes  which  frequently  ac 
company  the  equinoxes.  This  adventurous  flotilla  kept 
at  first  along  the  shore,  sailing  from  the  east  to  the 
west:  some  maritime  canals  formed  by  the  continent 
and  narrow  sandy  islands,  sheltered  them  at  inter 
vals  ;  but  when  they  had  no  longer  the  shelter  of 
these  natural  barriers,  they  became  the  sport  of  the 
waves.  The  mouth  of  a  great  river  was  soon  after 
wards  discovered  :  it  was  the  Mississippi :  the  mass  of 
its  waters  was  so  great  that  it  prolonged  its  course  to 
some  distance  in  the  sea,  and  they  w^ere  thereby  ena 
bled  to  obtain  fresh  water,  of  which  they  stood  in  much 
need.  But  the  same  current  compelled  these  feeble 
skiffs  to  recede  from  the  shore,  and  they  were  soon  en 
tirely  dispersed  by  rough  weather.  Narvaez,  who  had 
hoped  to  gain  a  shore  better  sheltered,  was  carried  out 
to*  sea,  and  never  again  seen.  The  other  boats  labori 
ously  pursued  their  voyage  towards  the  west,  and  were 
cast  on  different  parts  of  the  continent  or  the  islands 
along  the  shore,  where  most  of  them  perished  of  sick 


54  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

ness  or  hunger.  Alvar  Nunez,  one  of  those  who  sur 
vived  this  disastrous  expedition,  was  reserved  for  other 
dangers ;  he  succeeded  in  gaining  the  confidence  of  the 
Indians,  and  acquired  so  much  the  more  ascendency 
over  them  as  they  believed  him  able  to  predict  future 
events  and  cure  all  diseases :  three  others  of  his  ship 
wrecked  companions  joined  themselves  to  his  destiny; 
many  cures,  which  these  people  regarded  as  the  effect 
of  their  attentions  or  charms,  established  their  credit, 
and  to  their  skill  were  attributed  many  prodigies.  They 
shared  for  eight  years  a  wandering  life,  the  fatigues  and 
miseries  of  the  savages ;  and  they  after v,*arHs  returned 
to  Mexico,  accompanied  by  thirty  Indians  belonging  to 
the  provinces  through  which  they  had  passed.  The 
conqueror  of  New  Spain  was  still  there,  and  Antonio 
de  Mendoza  exercised  the  authority  of  viceroy. 

They  wished  to  profit  by  the  accounts  which  these 
travellers  gave,  by  attempting  a  new  expedition  into  the 
interior  of  Florida,  by  land.  Vasquez  Coronado  was 
appointed  leader  of  it ;  but  he  took  another  course ;  he 
proceeded  in  a  north-west  direction  towards  the  regions 
of  Sinalsa  and  Sonora,  and  penetrated  the  territory  of 
Quivira,  seeking,  on  the  authority  of  some  vague  tra 
ditions,  the  riches  and  wonders  which  vanished  at  his 
approach. 

Another  expedition  took  place  at  the  same  time; 
Ferdinand  de  Soto  set  out  from  Spain  in  1538,  with  a 
body  of  twelve  hundred  men  destined  to  form  a  settle 
ment  in  Florida.  This  warrior  sailed  first  to  the  island 
of  Cuba,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  continent,  landed  in 
the  bay  of  Spiritu-Santo,  and  penetrated  towards  the 
north,  to  the  foot  of  the  Apalachees.  The  Spaniards 
then  changed  their  course;  they  went  towards  the 
west,  through  the  countries  watered  by  the  Coosa,  Ala 
bama,  and  Tombigbee,  and  reached,  successively, 
the  ^Mississippi,  the  Red  River,  and  the  Brazos-de-Dios, 
which  became  the  limit  of  their  expedition.  It  h'ad 
lasted  three  years ;  war,  fatigue,  and  famine,  had  car 
ried  away  most  of  his  soldiers ;  the  spirit  of  discord 
broke  out  in  the  feeble  remains  of  this  army,  and  Fer- 


FERDLNAND  DE  SOTO,  DISCOVERING  THE  MISSISSIPPI.  Page  55. 


EXPEDITION  OF  DE  LUNA.  55 

dinand  de  Soto  determined  to  return  to  the  Mississippi. 
They  again  reached  this  river  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas ;  but  the  death  of  the  commander  put  an  end 
to  the  enterprise :  this  troop,  reduced  to  three  hundred 
men,  renounced  the  design  of  forming  an  establish 
ment  ;  they  embarked  on  the  Mississippi,  made  frequent 
incursions,  which  enfeebled  them  still  more,  and  de 
scended  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  whence  they  reached 
the  coast  of  Mexico. 

Don  Louis  de  Velasco,  becoming  viceroy  of  New 
Spain,  was  ordered  to  fit  out  another  expedition  for  the 
settlement  of  Florida.  He  assembled  all  the  men  who 
had  borne  arms  in  that  country,  or  who  had  been  ship 
wrecked  there;  and  Tristan  de  Luna  was  appointed 
captain-general  of  this  corps  of  the  army,  which  em 
barked  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  landed,  August  14,  1559,  in 
the  bay  of  Pensacola.  Six  days  afterwards,  the  whole 
fleet  was  destroyed  by  a  hurricane :  they  lost  all  the 
provisions  they  had  on  board,  and  they  were  now  with 
out  food,  on  a  sterile  coast.  A  detachment  of  four  hun 
dred  men  was  then  sent  on  an  expedition  to  procure 
some :  they  were  obliged  to  traverse  an  uncultivated 
and  desert  country,  and  finally  reached  the  Indian  vil 
lage  of  Nanipacua.  This  nation  had  formerly  been 
more  numerous,  and  its  ruin  appeared  to  date  from  the 
period  of  the  invasion  of  Ferdinand  de  Soto.  Luna 
soon  proceeded  thither  with  all  his  troops ;  some  arrived 
by  land,  others  by  ascending  the  river :  this  village  re 
ceived  the  name  of  Santa  Cruz  of  Nanipacua. 

The  Spanish  commandant  was  favourably  received 
there  by  the  natives  of  the  country.  The  produce  of 
the  chase  and  the  harvest  of  maize,  were  sufficient  to 
convince  his  troops  that  they  would  not  be  entirely 
without  provisions ;  but  these  were  soon  exhausted,  and 
Luna,  wishing  to  make  new  discoveries,  placed  himself 
at  the  head  of  three  hundred  men.  He  had  heard  of 
the  province  of  Coosa,  situated  farther  north :  it  was 
in  this  direction  that  the  Spaniards  proceeded,  and,  after 
travelling  fifty  days  through  a  country  intersected  by 
rivers,  marshes,  and  forests,  where  they  could  not  follow 


56  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

any  fixed  direction,  they  reached  the  borders  of  Alabama, 
At  a  small  distance  from  them,  they  saw  several  Indian 
villages.  They  encamped  in  this  neighbourhood,  and 
entered  into  a  traffic  with  the  people,  that  they  might 
procure  provisions. 

The  presence  of  the  strangers  was  not  a  new  spec 
tacle  for  the  Indians :  they  recollected  the  expedition  of 
Ferdinand  de  Soto :  two  of  his  followers  had  even  lived 
twelve  years  among  them,  and  had  here  peaceably  ter 
minated  their  lives.  They  would  have  received  a  few 
travellers  without  fear ;  but  the  number  and  strength  of 
an  armed  troop  excited  the  dread  of  this  savage  tribe ; 
and  to  get  rid  of  the  Spaniards,  they  engaged  them  in 
a  military  expedition,  not  unworthy  of  their  valour, 
determining  to  assist  the  Indians  of  Coosa,  who  were 
then  but  a  few  days*  journey  distant  from  them.  These 
Indians  were  then  at  war  with  the  Natchez,  a  revolted 
tribe  who  refused  the  payment  of  an  ancient  tribute. 
The  Natchez  had  obtained  several  great  advantages 
over  them;  the  widows  of  the  Coosa  warriors,  who 
were  killed  in  battle,  had  cut  off  their  hair,  scattered  it 
among  the  tombs  of  their  ancestors,  and,  coming  in  a 
body  to  address  the  cacique,  they  cast  themselves  on 
their  knees  before  him,  and  implored  vengeance. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  who  presented  them 
selves  as  allies,  they  ran  to  arms  with  the  greatest  con 
fidence:  the  cacique  had  given  the  signal;  cries  of 
war  were  heard  throughout  the  whole  nation  of  Coosa. 
Three  hundred  men  assembled  in  a  plain,  and  divided 
into  different  parties,  each  of  which  had  a  guide  ;  fifty 
Spaniards  on  foot  and  fifty  on  horseback  joined  in  this 
expedition.  The  next  day  eight  Indian  chiefs  were  seen 
running  across  the  quarters  allotted  to  the  Spaniards, 
to  their  own,  and  stopping  near  the  cacique,  raising 
great  cries ;  they  took  him  on  their  shoulders,  and  car 
ried  him  some  distance,  till  they  came  to  an  alcove,  the 
steps  of  which  he  ascended  alone.  The  cacique  walk 
ed  about  for  some  time  with  gravity ;  a  sort  of  sceptre 
was  handed  to  him,  which  was  terminated  by  a  number 
of  very  beautiful  feathers ;  he  raised  it  several  times, 


INDIANS  AND  SPANIARDS  IN  ALLIANCE.  59 

pointing  it  towards  the  country  of  the  Natchez  with  a 
menacing  gesture.  Having  put  some  seeds  in  his 
mouth,  he  bit  them,  and  spit  out  the  remains.  He  then 
addressed  his  warriors  as  follows ; — "Friends,  our  ene 
mies  will  be  vanquished,  and  their  forces  will  be  broken 
like  these  seeds  which  I  have  destroyed  with  my  teeth.'* 
The  cacique  then  took  a  shell  filled  with  the  water,  and, 
pouring  it  out,  drop  by  drop,  exclaimed  "  May  all  their 
blood  be  thus  poured  out."  All  the  Indians  repeated 
these  imprecations  with  great  shouts.  The  cacique 
now  descended  from  the  alcove,  and  led  his  troops  to 
the  war  which  he  had  just  solemnly  declared  against 
the  Natchez.  (See  Engraving,  on  the  opposite  page.) 

The  following  night,  new  cries  were  heard  in  the 
camp  of  the  Indians :  their  cacique  again  excited  them 
to  vengeance,  and  they  swore  never  to  return  without 
having  accomplished  it.  The  spies  sent  by  the  Coosa 
Indians  thought  that  the  Natchez  were  not  upon  their 
guard,  and  the  cacique  desired  rather  to  surprise,  than 
attack  them  openly.  They  approached  their  first  vil 
lage,  and  attempted  to  occupy  the  different  avenues,  so 
that  no  person  might  escape ;  but  when  the  cacique  en 
tered  with  his  troops,  they  found  all  the  Natchez  had 
fled :  a  confused  noise  had  made  them  acquainted  with 
the  approach  of  their  enemies.  Their  village  was  de 
serted,  and  they  found  nothing  but  some  provisions 
which  the  enemy,  in  their  precipitate  retreat,  had  left 
behind. 

Vengeance  was  thus  deferred  ;  and  their  regret  was 
more  bitter  when  they  saw  in  the  place,  round  which 
their  habitations  had  been  built,  large  posts,  marking 
the  usual  place  of  the  execution  of  the  prisoners  they 
had  taken.  These  posts  were  hung  round  with 
limbs  and  scalps ;  and  the  appearance  of  these  bloody 
trophies  raised  the  fury  of  the  warriors  still  higher. 
They  gathered  these  miserable  remains  to  bury  them 
with  superstitious  rites ;  and  they  spread  through  the 
village  like  madmen,  some  in  the  hope  of  finding  ene 
mies  to  sacrifice,  others  to  plunder  the  cabins  and  set 
lire  to  them.  After  sun-set,  they  celebrated  their  vie- 


60  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

tory  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  with  dances,  songs,  shouts 
and  the  confused  noise  of  their  warlike  instruments. 

The  cacique  and  the  Spaniards  determined  to  go  in 
pursuit  of  the  enemy,  and  advanced  towards  the  moun 
tain  where  they  supposed  they  had  taken  refuge  ;  they 
could  not  discover  any  trace  of  them,  but  approached 
a  large  river,  towards  which  they  appeared  to  have 
retreated.  The  savages  gave  it  the  name  of  Ochechitou, 
and  this  name  calls  to  mind  tfyat  of  Nachitoches,  which 
is  familiarized  by  many  more  recent  associations. 

The  Natchez  had  in  effect  crossed  the  river,  and  be 
lieved  themselves  in  safety ;  but  the  Coosa  Indians  knew 
the  place  where  the  river  could  be  forded.  They  cross 
ed  it,  the  water  being  up  to  the  breast.  The  discharge 
of  a  musket,  which  killed  a  Natchez,  put  the  others  in 
confusion ;  they  were  not  able  to  resist  fire-arms,  and, 
finding  that  they  were  pursued  across  another  river, 
they  solicited  peace,  promising  to  pay  the  cacique  of 
Coosa  their  ancient  tributes.  These  consisted  in  pro 
visions  of  grain  and  fruit  which  were  sent  three  times 
a  year.  Such  are  the  treasures  for  which  savages  make 
war;  so  trifling  are  the  causes  of  the  battles  which 
frequently  happen  between  them.  A  greater  ambition, 
a  more  intense  and  insatiable  thirst  for  gold  and  power, 
is  found  only  among  civilized  people. 

In  penetrating  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  the 
Spanish  detachment,  separated  from  the  body  of  the 
army  by  extensive  deserts,  had  no  method  of  sending 
to  Tristan  de  Luna  any  account  of  its  situation  and  dis 
coveries  :  it  was  believed  that  the  whole  detachment 
had  perished ;  and  Tristan,  wishing  to  be  ready  to  re 
ceive  the  reinforcement  he  expected  from  Mexico 
abandoned  Santa  Cruz  de  Nanipacua,  in  order  to  return 
by  descending  the  river,  to  Port  St.  Maria,  which  was 
about  120  leagues  distant. 

A  captain  and  twelve  men,  sent  by  the  commander 
of  the  body  that  fought  against  the  Natchez,  did  not 
arrive  at  Santa  Cruz  till  after  the  departure  of  the  cap 
tain-general.  A  note,  lying  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  ac 
quainted  them  with  the  direction  he  had  taken,  and 


LUNA'S  TROOPS  REVOLT.  61 

they  encountered  him  at  Port  St.  Maria.  They  then 
deliberated  whether  to  endeavour  to  keep  possession  of 
the  province  of  Coosa,  or  to  abandon  it.  Tristan  de 
Luna  regarded  it  as  unworthy  of  the  courage  of  Spa 
niards  to  be  overcome  with  difficulties ;  and  did  not 
believe  this  country  as  poor  as  it  was  represented  to  be 
by  the  malcontents.  "  If  we  cannot  live  there,"  said 
he,  "  we  will  retire  among  the  Natchez ;  if  their  re 
sources  are  exhausted,  we  will  seek  better  countries, 
and,  to  reach  them,  we  will  brave  every  fatigue :  it 
would  be  humiliating  to  fear  it,  and,  however  great  it 
may  be,  we  are  determined  to  bear  it." 

Luna  was  ready  to  struggle  against  all  obstacles ; 
but  his  aid-de-camp,  Juan  Ceron,  believing  them  insur 
mountable,  and  seeing  that  his  opinion  was  favoured  by 
a  majority  of  the  soldiers,  resolved  to  oppose  the  pro 
ject  of  the  captain-general.  He  secretly  sent  into  the 
province  of  Coosa  the  twelve  men  who  had  returned, 
and  he  considered  himself  as  having  power  to  recall, 
by  virtue  of  the  authority  with  which  he  was  entrusted, 
the  detachment  which  was  on  a  voyage  of  discovery. 
Ceron  persisted  in  ordering  it  to  return ;  and  its  com 
mander,  receiving  a  positive  order,  abandoned  the  pro 
vince  in  which  he  was  established  :  he  had  employed 
seven  months  in  this  expedition. 

Most  of  the  troops  were  in  a  state  of  discontent 
when  this  detachment  returned  to  St.  Maria :  the  spirit 
of  sedition  every  day  increased ;  the  extreme  severity 
of  the  captain-general  only  made  its  progress  more 
rapid,  and  as  he  could  not  put  in  execution  the  rigour 
of  his  orders  against  a  great  number  of  undisciplined 
men,  they  passed  soon  from  discontent  to  disdain 
of  his  authority.  These  troubles  lasted  five  months; 
they  were  finally  terminated  by  the  pious  exhortations 
of  Father  Domingo,  of  the  order  of  Annunciation,  who 
made  use  of  all  the  power  of  religion,  to  bring  back  the 
parties  to  a  love  of  peace  and  an  oblivion  of  mutual 
injuries. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  viceroy  of  Mexico,  Don  Louis 
de  Velasco,  informed  of  these  dissensions  of  the  bodv 


62  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

of  the  army,  had  appointed  a  successor  to  Tristan  de 
Luna ;  he  had  appointed  Angel  de  Villafana  governor 
of  Florida,  and  this  new  commander  soon  arrived  at 
Port  St.  Maria,  with  a  reinforcement  of  troops  and 
some  munitions.  Villafana  wished  to  profit  by  the  ex 
perience  of  his  predecessors,  in  order  that  he  might  de 
cide  with  more  judgment  whether  he  should  occupy 
anew  the  province  of  Coosa,  or  abandon  all  thoughts 
of  forming  an  establishment  in  a  region  so  often  repre 
sented  as  sterile.  This  last  council  prevailed,  and  Vil 
lafana  led  his  troops  to  Havana.  His  instructions  or 
dered  him  to  return  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Florida, 
and  explore  it  as  far  as  Cape  St.  Helena ;  but  this  plan 
was  not  put  in  execution. 

Tristan  de  Luna  and  a  few  of  his  followers  were 
now  the  only  persons  who  remained  at  Port  St.  Maria. 
This  old  commander  could  not  renounce  an  enterprise 
the  grandeur  and  advantages  of  which  had  so  much 
engaged  his  attention ;  and  he  wrote  to  the  viceroy  of 
Mexico,  to  submit  to  him  a  new  plan  of  operations. 
He  did  not  doubt  of  success ;  but  the  viceroy,  not  see 
ing  any  possibility  of  it,  ordered  him  to  return  to  New 
Spain,  which  order  he  obeyed. 

These  last  events  happened  in  1561.  Although  Flo 
rida  had  been  explored  at  different  points,  since  the  first 
discoveries  of  Ponce  de  Leon,  no  permanent  settlement 
had  yet  been  established,  when  a  new  flag  appeared  on 
the  eastern  coasts  of  the  continent,  now  called  Georgia 
and  Carolina. 

Admiral  Coligni,  desiring  to  form  a  refuge  for  the 
Calvinists  persecuted  in  France,  had  formed,  under  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.,  the  project  of  founding  a  Protestant 
colony  in  America ;  and  Durand  de  Villegagnon,  vice- 
admiral  of  Brittany,  had  been  charged  with  this  expe 
dition.  But  the  fort  which  he  built  on  the  coast  of  Bra 
zil  was  soon  destroyed  by  the  Portuguese,  and  Coligni 
cast  his  eyes  on  the  countries  situated  to  the  north  of 
Florida,  which  had  formerly  been  discovered  by  Verra- 
zini.  He  proposed  to  the  king  to  make  a  voyage  of 
discovery,  and  Charles  IX.,  who  then  reigned,  placed 


EXPEDITION  OF  RIBAUT.  63 

two  ships  at  his  disposal,  the  command  of  which  he 
gave  to  Jean  Ribaut  of  Dieppe,  a  mariner  of  great  ex 
perience,  who  set  sail  from  that  port,  February  15th, 
1562.  Ribaut  and  his  crew  were  of  the  reformed  reli 
gion  ;  and  the  admiral,  in  protecting  an  expedition  which 
would  be  useful  to  the  Protestants,  had  regard  also 
to  the  interests  of  France.  He  designed  to  form  a 
retreat  for  the  proscribed,  and  put  an  end  to  the  civil 
and  religious  wars ;  to  separate  the  two  parties,  with 
out,  however,  making  them  forget  their  common  origin 
and  country. 

Captain  Ribaut  reached  the  coasts  of  Florida  in  the 
30th  degree  of  north  latitude ;  he  followed  it,  sailing 
towards  the  north,  and  landed  on  the  shores  of  a  river, 
which  he  called  the  river  May,  because  he  discovered 
it  in  this  month.  This  river  is  the  same  as  that  which 
was  afterwards  called  by  the  Spaniards,  St.  Matthew. 
They  raised  there,  as  a  sign  of  possession,  a  column 
on  which  were  inscribed  the  arms  of  France,  and  they 
had  friendly  communications  with  the  natives  of  the 
country.  Ribaut  wished  to  prosecute  his  discoveries, 
that  he  might  choose  the  most  favourable  place  for 
forming  a  settlement ;  he  discovered  the  mouths  of  all 
the  rivers  of  this  coast,  from  the  Altamaha  to  the  Sa 
vannah,  and  he  reached,  by  continuing  his  voyage,  the 
entrance  of  a  deep  bay,  which  he  called  Port  Royal. 
The  Coosa-Walchee,  whose  source  is  in  the  Apalachees, 
pours  its  waters  into  this  vast  basin,  and  divides  itself 
into  two  branches  before  emptying  into  the  'sea ;  the 
one  bends  its  course  towards  Port  Royal,  the  other  to 
wards  the  bay  of  St.  Helena ;  and  this  region  has 
always  been  distinguished  by  the  natives  as  the  first  in 
which  the  Europeans  established  colonies. 

Ribaut  considered  as  a  southern  prolongation  of  New 
France,  the  countries  which  he  discovered,  and  the 
Spaniard  regarded  them  as  a  northern  prolongation  of 
Florida.  This  was  giving  on  both  sides  a  great  exten 
sion  to  the  right  of  discovery ;  that  of  occupation  was 
more  positive,  and  Ribaut  had  not  been  preceded  by 
any  colony  on  the  coast  where  he  intended  to  establish 
7 


64  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

one.  He  gave  French  names  to  the  rivers  he  dis 
covered;  they  were  the  Seine,  Garonne,  Loire,  Sou- 
rene,  Charente  and  Sordogne.  The  fortress  which  he 
afterwards  built  on  an  island  in  the  bay  of  Port  Royal, 
received  the  name  of  Charlesfort.  The  command  of  it 
was  given  to  Captain  Albert ;  and  the  chief  of  the  ex 
pedition  before  leaving  him,  addressed  him  in  the  fol 
lowing  words :  "  I  pray  you,  in  the  presence  of  all,  to 
so  worthily  acquit  yourself  of  your  duty,  and  so  mo 
destly  govern  the  little  troop  that  I  leave  you,  and  who 
consent  to  remain  under  your  orders  with  so  much 
pleasure,  that  I  shall  never  have  cause  to  reprove  you, 
and  shall  be  able,  as  I  wish,  to  declare  to  the  king,  the 
faithful  service  that,  in  presence  of  us  all,  you  promised 
towards  him  in  his  New  Spain."  "  And  you,  compa 
nions,"  said  he  to  the  soldiers,  "  pray  you  to  obey  Cap 
tain  Albert,  as  if  he  was  myself;  rendering  him  the 
obedience  that  a  true  soldier  should  to  his  commander, 
being  in  unity  with  one  another ;  and  doing  this,  God 
will  assist  you  and  bless  your  undertakings."  We  have 
quoted  the  language  of  the  authors  of  his  time,  that 
we  might  give  in  its  native  simplicity  this  admirable 
address. 

After  leaving  in  the  fort  some  provisions  and  muni 
tions  of  war,  Ribaut  saluted  with  his  artillery  the  new 
French  establishment,  and  directed  his  course  towards 
the  north,  with  the  intent  of  gaining  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  now  Santee,  which  a  sailor,  who  had  belonged 
to  the  expedition  of  Vasques  de  Ayllon  had  discovered 
forty  years  before ;  but  the  water  became  shallow  as 
they  approached  the  coast,  and  the  mouths  of  the  rivers 
which  they  fell  in  with  were  so  obstructed  with  sand, 
that  Ribaut,  after  having  consulted  his  crew,  deter 
mined  to  prosecute  his  discoveries  no  farther,  but  to  go 
and  render  an  account  of  what  he  had  done.  He  re 
turned  to  Dieppe,  five  months  after  his  departure. 

Captain  Albert's  first  communications  with  the  In 
dians  were  friendly ;  ascending  the  river,  he  visited  the 
cacique  Andusta,  and  many  other  chiefs  of  different 
tribes,  who  welcomed  him  with  fetes,  and  presente 


THE  FRENCH  ABANDON  THE  SETTLEMENT.  65 

him  with  some  maize, game  and  fruits;  he  made  them 
presents  in  return,  so  that  a  perfect  understanding  ex 
isted  between  them.  But  he  knew  not  how  to  gain  the 
affection  of  his  soldiers;  he  irritated  them  by  many 
acts  of  rigour  and  injustice.  A  soldier  had  been  de 
graded  for  some  fault,  and  left  on  a  neighbouring  island 
without  provisions :  others,  menaced  with  a  similar 
treatment,  excited  a  sedition  against  Albert :  they  put 
him  to  death,  brought  back  the  banished  soldier  who 
was  almost  starved,  and  appointed  for  commander  one 
of  their  number,  named  Nicholas  Barre,  who  succeeded 
in  establishing  order  in  the  colony.  It  was  however  in 
want  of  many  things :  the  reinforcement  they  expected 
from  France  had  not  arrived,  and  having  no  vessel  in 
which  to  leave  the  country,  they  began  to  construct  a 
brigantine.  The  Indians  furnished  them  with  large 
ropes  for  the  rigging  :  they  caulked  it  with  the  moss 
which  they  gathered  from  trees  and  the  resin  of  pine 
trees;  they  made  sails  of  their  clothing,  and  departed  in 
that  feeble  bark,  after  having  distributed  their  last  pre 
sents  among  the  Indians.  The  provisions  which  they 
received  from  them  were  insufficient  for  a  long  voyage ; 
the  progress  was  impeded  sometimes  by  storms,  at 
others  by  calms:  their  provisions  were  finally  ex 
hausted,  and  the  crew  in  despair  decided  that  one  of 
their  number  should  be  sacrificed  to  save  the  rest 
Then  the  banished  soldier,  whom  they  had  formerly 
saved  from  death,  offered  himself  as  a  voluntary  vic 
tim  :  his  offer  was  accepted ;  hunger  made  them  an 
thropophagi.  Finally,  land  was  discovered ;  they 
were  transported  with  joy,  and  after  having  gone  on 
shore,  let  their  deserted  vessel,  which  leaked  in  many 
places,  float  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  In  this  situa 
tion  they  were  discovered  by  the  captain  of  an  English 
vessel  who  took  them  on  board ;  many  were  taken  to 
England,  where  they  were  interrogated  respecting  the 
shores  of  America,  and  on  the  possibility  of  establishing 
a  colony  there ;  others  were  landed  on  the  coast  of 
France,  and  arrived  at  Dieppe,  in  the  month  of  July, 
1564.  This  expedition  had  lasted  twenty-nine  months: 
E 


66  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

it  had  been  left  to  itself;  civil  war  having  prevented 
the  mother  country  from  sending  assistance  to  this  dis 
tant  colony.  It  was  only  after  the  return  of  peace  that 
Admiral  Coligni  was  authorized  by  the  king  to  send 
three  vessels  to  this  part  of  the  American  continent. 

Rene  de  Laudonniere,  who  had  accompanied  Ribaut 
in  his  first  expedition,  was  appointed  commander  of  this 
one,  and  departed  from  Havre,  April  22d,  1564.  We 
may  mention,  among  the  persons  who  accompanied 
him,  Ottigny,  Lacaille,  Laroche-Ferriere,  d'Erlac,  Le- 
vasseur,  who  signalized  themselves  by  their  military 
services.  A  painter,  named  Le  Moine,  accompanied 
them,  and  his  drawings,  afterwards  engraved  by 
Debry,  made  the  Europeans  acquainted  with  various 
scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Indians. 

The  pictures  by  which  a  narrative  is  ornamented, 
have  often  been  considered  as  a  great  help  to  the  study 
of  history.  Nature  has  its  spectacles,  people  have  their 
monuments,  and  faithful  representations  aid  to  fix  them 
in  our  memory.  If  they  represent  festivals  or  national 
solemnities,  they  spread  more  light  on  the  description ; 
if  they  show  the  common  occurrences  of  life,  they 
allow  us  to  dispense  with  details  which  suspend  the 
interest  in  the  event  and  the  rapidity  of  recital.  The 
writings  of  the  ancients,  at  least  in  the  condition  in 
which  we  have  received  them,  were  not  accompanied 
by  them :  this  privation  often  keeps  us  in  uncertainty 
respecting  the  progress  of  their  industry  and  of  their 
skill  in  the  arts ;  and  we  have  in  vain  endeavoured  to 
re-construct  some  of  their  inventions,  by  the  aid  of  the 
writings  they  have  left  us. 

But  in  using  this  language  of  signs,  we  must  not  lose 
Bight  of  its  being  only  an  accessary  to  our  work,  and 
that  it  should  be  bent  to  the  will  of  the  historian  with 
out  ever  serving  him  as  a  guide.  Each  place,  each 
period  does  not  offer  the  same  number  of  figures ;  his 
tory  has  its  deserts,  as  well  as  its  fertile  meadows ;  in 
one  place  we  have  nothing  to  represent,  in  another  a 
long  series  of  images  is  presented. 

The   time   at  which  Laudonniere  set  sail,  was  the 


LAUDONNIERE'S  VOYAGE.  69 

same  as  that  in  which  the  colonists  of  Charlesfort,  who 
had  been  so  long  left  without  assistance,  left  the  shores 
of  America  to  return  to  France.  The  two  expeditions 
crossed  each  other  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean  without 
meeting,  and  the  project  of  Coligni  could  not  be  accom 
plished  :  other  destinies  awaited  the  navigators  on  the 
shore  where  they  were  about  to  settle. 

Laudonniere  reached  the  Canaries,  whence  he 
sailed  towards  the  Antilles:  he  had  on  the  island  of 
Dominica,  where  he  landed  to  take  in  some  provisions, 
an  engagement  with  the  Caribbees;  he  rounded  the 
islands  of  St.  Christopher  and  Montserrat,  reached  the 
coasts  of  Florida,  and  on  the  20th  of  June  sailed  up  the 
river  May.  The  Indians  gave  them  a  friendly  recep 
tion  :  their  cacique,  Saturiova,  came  to  see  them ;  and 
Lacaille,  who  had  imperfectly  learned  their  language 
in  his  voyage,  made  him  understand  that  they  were 
sent  hither  by  a  prince  who  governed  all  the  East. 
They  came  to  render  homage  to  his  goodness,  to  his 
valour  and  liberality,  and  they  had  surmounted  many 
perils  to  form  with  him  a  treaty  of  confederation  and 
friendship.  Saturiova  was  flattered  by  this  honour ;  he 
believed  himself  still  more  powerful,  since  so  distant  a 
sovereign  sought  his  alliance,  and  conducted  the  French 
to  the  column  that  Ribaut  had  erected,  two  years  be 
fore,  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  The  warriors  found  it 
ornamented  with  flowers,  branches  of  laurel  and  other 
trees:  and  provisions  had  been  brought  here  for  the 
new  guests.  (See  Engraving,  on  the  opposite  page.) 

The  intention  of  Laudonniere  was  to  gain  promptly 
the  bay  of  Port  Royal :  he  again  set  sail  towards  the 
north,  and  landed  at  several  parts  of  the  coast  which 
had  been  discovered  by  the  preceding  expedition.  Here 
they  learnt  that  the  post  of  Charlesfort  had  been  aban 
doned  for  several  months,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
choose  a  fljace  on  which  to  settle.  This  bay  was  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most  secure  which  the  French 
had  discovered,  but  the  banks  of  the  river  May  ap 
peared  more  fertile  and  more  favourable  for  the  esta 
blishment  of  a  new  colony.  They  hoped  by  ascending 


70  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  river,  to  reach  the  country  that  contained  the 
mines  of  gold  of  which  they  were  in  search,  and  this 
opinion  was  founded  on  the  ill-understood  information 
which  they  had  received  from  the  savages.  They  had 
told  them  that  by  following  this  direction  which  led 
towards  the  mountains,  they  could  easily  establish  com 
munications  with  another  sea ;  and  we  have  since  dis 
covered,  by  visiting  this  part  of  the  Apalachees,  that 
but  a  short  distance  separates  the  sources  of  the  rivers 
which  flow  either  east  or  south,  the  former  towards  the 
ocean,  the  latter  towards  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  These 
considerations  made  them  prefer  the  banks  of  the  river 
May  to  all  other  situations.  A  triangular  fort  was 
constructed  two  leagues  from  its  mouth;  ai.d  was 
called  Carolina  in  honour  of  their  king ;  and  the  In 
dians  themselves  laboured  at  the  entrenchments  which 
they  surrounded  with  ditches  and  palisades. 

The  natives  then  united  into  several  confederacies. 
That  along  the  sea  shore  was  composed  of  thirty  tribes, 
the  principal  of  which  was  under  the  dominion  of  Satu- 
riova  as  cacique.  A  confederation  more  distant  from  the 
ocean,  and  extending  to  the  Apalachee,  acknowledged 
Outina  for  its  head  chief.  Other  similar  leagues  were 
formed  in  the  neighbouring  territories ;  and  the  popu 
lation  of  the  natives  of  the  country  was  thus  grouped 
round  their  principal  war-chiefs.  Community  of  in 
terests,  similarity  of  language,  family  alliances,  were 
the  foundation  of  these  voluntary  associations.  If  the 
bonds  between  several  tribes  of  the  same  nation  were 
broken,  they  could  easily  be  re-established  by  the  ad 
vice  and  intervention  of  others ;  but  the  rivalry  which 
existed  among  the  greater  confederations  was  more 
inveterate,  and  their  quarrels  were  transmitted  from 
generation  to  generation. 

Laudonniere  did  not  desire  to  enter  into  the  quarrels 
of  the  natives ;  he  had  at  first  sought  the  fiflpndship  of 
Saturiova,  whose  good  will  was  necessary  for  the  safe 
ty  of  the  colony ;  and  when  this  chief  asked  his  assist 
ance  against  the  n*ountain  tribes,  Laudonniere,  instead 
of  uniting  with  one  of  the  parties,  made  them  become 


BATTLE  WITH  THE  INDIANS.  71 

reconciled.  He  did  not,  however,  always  preserve  this 
neutrality :  he  several  times  rendered  assistance  to 
Outina,  against  the  other  tribes  of  the  Apalachees ;  the 
Indians  of  the  coast  became  jealous  of  this,  and  the 
consequence  of  a  change  of  policy  finally  rendered 
the  situation  of  the  French  very  difficult. 

In  preferring  the  alliance  of  Outina  to  that  of  the 
other  chiefs,  Laudonniere  sought  to  open  communica 
tions  more  easily  with  the  mountains  in  which  they 
hoped  to  find  the  mines  of  gold ;  it  was  in  this  direction 
that  he  extended  his  discoveries.  He  gave  to  Outina 
the  assistance  of  a  body  of  twenty-five  riflemen,  com 
manded  by  Ottigny,  one  of  his  bravest  officers ;  and  the 
troops  of  the  cacique,  accompanied  by  their  auxiliaries, 
marched  with  confidence  against  the  enemy.  The  In 
dian  army  stopped  towards  the  evening,  and  separated 
into  various  groups,  to  keep  watch  during  the  night. 
A  hundred  warriors  were  ranged  at  some  distance 
round  the  cacique  ;  two  hundred  men,  farther  off,  form 
ed  a  second  circle  round  him,  and  they  were  themselves 
surrounded  by  another  numerous  circle.  The  Indians 
began  their  march  at  break  of  day,  and,  when  they  had 
arrived  at  the  limits  of  the  territory  they  intended  to 
invade,  Outina  resolved  to  consult  the  sorcerer  whom 
he  had  in  his  army,  that  he  might  know  the  force  and 
position  of  his  enemies.  The  sorcerer  was  an  old  man 
bowed  down  with  years;  he  knelt  on  the  ground,  traced 
around  him  some  unknown  characters,  murmured  some 
unconnected  words,  fatigued  himself  by  his  violent  con 
vulsions,  and,  taking  breath,  he  made  known  the  number 
of  the  enemies,  and  the  place  where  they  were  to  be 
found.  The  cacique  was  discouraged ;  but,  on  the  en 
treaties  of  Ottigny,  he  determined  to  march  against 
them.  This  officer  and  the  riflemen  began  the  action* 
the  enemy  was  conquered  ;  and  those  who  were  killed 
or  taken  prisoners  were  cut  in  pieces  by  the  Indians, 
without  Ottigny's  being  able  to  make  them  renounce  so 
barbarous  a  custom  ;  and  the  savages,  loaded  with  their 
bloody  remains,  marched  back  to  their  own  territory. 

After  having  assisted  the  cacique  in  his  expedition 


72  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Ottigny  quitted  the  neighbourhood  of  the  mountains, 
and  returned  to  Fort  Carolina.  Their  provisions  were 
now  almost  exhausted ;  the  bonds  of  discipline  were 
relaxed,  and  the  spirit  of  dissension  increased  every 
day.  The  malcontents  accused  Laudonniere  of  appro 
priating  to  his  own  use  the  money  which  had  been  sent 
for  the  purpose  of  buying  provisions  for  the  troops ;  of 
sending  only  his  friends  for  the  discovery  of  the  mines, 
and  of  depriving  of  these  riches  all  the  other  soldiers ; 
of  condemning  them  to  severe  labours ;  of  depriving 
them  even  of  the  consolations  of  religion;  and  of 
leaving  without  ministers  all  the  reformers  who  had 
followed  him. 

Some  movements  of  insubordination,  at  first  timid 
and  undecided,  gave  place  to  a  conspiracy  against 
Laudonniere.  Desfourneaux  was  the  leader  of  the  sedi 
tious:  he  proceeded,  at  midnight,  at  the  head  of  twenty 
riflemen,  to  the  lodgings  of  this  officer,  took  him  pri 
soner,  and  conducted  him  chained  on  board  of  a  ship. 
The  mutineers  afterwards  obliged  him,  under  pain  of 
death,  to  sign  a  paper  which  authorized  them  to  go  into 
the  Spanish  possessions  to  seek  for  provisions ;  and, 
under  this  pretext,  they  armed  two  light  vessels,  sailed 
through  the  Archipelago  of  the  Lucayos,  and  gained 
the  shores  of  the  island  of  Cuba,  where  they  committed 
numerous  depredations.  The  governor  of  this  island 
and  his  sons  were  seized  by  them  in  a  caravel:  he 
agreed  with  them  on  the  price  of  his  ransom,  and  one 
of  his  sons  was  permitted  to  go  on  shore  to  procure  this 
sum ;  but,  according  to  the  private  instructions  given 
him  by  the  governor,  he  secretly  gathered  all  the  sol 
diers  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  attacked  the  pirates. 
The  caravel  which  had  been  seized  was  retaken,  with 
the  crew  that  had  been  placed  in  it :  one  of  their  ships 
was  destroyed,  and  there  being  only  one  brigantine  con 
taining  twenty-six  men  left,  they  believed  themselves 
incapable  of  continuing  their  voyage,  and  determined 
to  return  to  the  river  May.  They  no  longer  had  power 
to  excite  a  sedition :  Laudonniere  had  beep  set  at  liber 
ty  and  his  authority  re-established,  through  the  attention 


SCARCITY  OF  PROVISIONS.  73 

of  Ottigny,  Caille,  d'Erlac,  and  the  other  soldiers  who 
had  remained  faithful.  The  corsairs  only  wished  to 
touch  at  the  port,  to  take  in  some  provisions,  and  their 
intention  was  to  set  sail  afterwards  for  France ;  but 
their  vessel  was  seized  ;  the  four  principal  leaders  were 
condemned  to  death;  the  others  were  pardoned. 

These  acts  of  piracy  excited  profound  hatred  in  the 
Spanish  colonies ;  religious  hatred  was  added  to  it,  and 
they  determined  to  destroy  a  colony  formed  by  Lu 
therans.  Although  the  punishment  of  the  criminals  was 
a  reparation  for  their  offences,  they  were  not  contented 
with  it;  and  since  they  could  no  longer  accuse  the 
French  colony  of  favouring  piracy,  they  accused 
them  of  heresy. 

During  the  absence  of  these  adventurers,  which 
lasted  nearly  four  months,  Laudonniere  had  continued 
the  building  of  Fort  Carolina.  He  was  on  friendly  terms 
with  Saturiova,  and  the  Indians  of  the  shore  often 
brought  him  fish,  game,  and  maize,  in  exchange  for 
arms  and  different  products  of  European  manufacture. 
Captain  Levasseur  sailed  along  the  coast  to  the  bay  of 
Port  Royal,  to  renew  the  communications  established 
three  years  before,  with  the  people  of  this  neighbour 
hood,  and  he  received  from  their  cacique  Andusta,  a 
present  of  some  maize.  Laudonniere  maintained  his 
intimate  union  with  Outina,  and,  to  obtain  provisions, 
aided  him  in  his  military  expeditions. 

Their  provisions,  however,  began  to  fail :  fish  abound 
ed  only  in  certain  seasons ;  the  migrating  birds  disap 
peared  ;  the  hunters  no  longer  met  with  those  clouds  of 
wood-pigeons  which  had  but  lately  covered  some  islands 
on  the  shore,  and  they  were  obliged  to  eat  acorns,  the 
bark  of  certain  trees,  roots,  and  fruits  which  grew 
spontaneously.  They  could  have  obtained,  by  cultiva 
tion,  provisions  more  efficacious  and  more  durable ; 
but  they  paid  no  attention  to  this,  although  admiral 
Coligni  had  expressly  recommended  it.  This  species 
of  labour  was  disgusting  to  men  accustomed  only  to 
the  fatigues  of  war  and  to  the  absolute  idleness  in 
which  they  lived  during  the  intervals  between  them ; 


74  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

they  believed  themselves  able  to  gain  every  thing  at 
the  point  of  the  sword,  and  they  attached  no  value  to 
the  peaceful  conquests  of  labour  and  obscure  and  tran 
quil  occupations.  The  warriors  who  sailed  to  the  New 
World  had  often  seen  in  Europe  a  class  of  men 
attached  to  the  soil ;  they  were  there  charged  with  the 
defence  of  these  cultivators  who  supported  them,  and 
in  changing  their  country  they  did  not  change  their 
habits.  We  should,  however,  say  that  since  the  period 
of  the  discovery,  their  conduct  towards  the  Indians  had 
no  longer  the  same  rigour.  The  French  who  sought  to 
establish  a  colony  in  America  depended,  it  is  true,  on 
the  natives  for  their  provisions,  but  they  always  gave 
them  something  in  exchange.  The  least  products  of 
their  industry  had  a  value  among  the  savages,  all  the 
fruits  of  the  land  were  held  in  estimation  by  the 
Europeans,  and  they  were  led  to  commerce  by  their 
mutual  wants.  These  relations,  however,  diminished 
from  day  to  day,  and  provisions  no  longer  arrived  at 
Fort  Carolina  after  the  French  had  exhausted  their 
presents  and  means  of  exchange. 

Then,  not  being  able  to  demand  any  thing  of  the 
earth,  since  they  had  confided  nothing  to  it,  they  had 
to  endure  all  the  penalties  of  their  neglect.  It  was  ne 
cessary  to  take  from  the  Indians  what  they  would  no 
longer  voluntarily  offer;  but  the  savages  retired  into 
the  depths  of  the  forests,  and  carried  with  them  in 
their  flight  the  few  provisions  they  had  remaining. 
The  shore  offered  no  resources :  the  inhabitants  of  the 
mountains  had  also  refused  to  furnish  them  any  provi 
sions,  although  they  were  able  to  do  so.  The  difficulty 
of  living  on  an  uncultivated  and  desert  shore  was  gene 
rally  felt,  and  they  hastened  to  build  a  ship  which  could 
carry  them  back  to  France.  This  was  not  enough :  it 
was  necessary  to  have  provisions  to  last  till  they  em 
barked,  and  enough  for  their  voyage. 

They  cast  their  eyes  upon  Outina ;  and  as  they 
hoped  nothing  more  from  his  friendship,  they  formed 
the  project  of  taking  him  captive,  that  they  might  force 
the  Indians  of  whom  he  was  the  chief  to  furnish  some 


HOSTILITIES  BETWEEN  THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIANS.     75 

provisions  as  his  ransom.  Laudonniere  disapproved  at 
first  of  this  design,  and  made  to  the  men  who  proposed 
it  a  wise  representation  of  the  necessity  of  managing 
the  savages,  and  of  not  increasing  their  hatred ;  but  he 
was  not  listened  to,  and  the  resolution  they  had  taken 
of  abandoning  the  country  made  them  believe  that  they 
could  constrain  him  to  side  with  them  with  impunity. 
Finally,  Laudonniere  yielded  to  the  entreaties  of  his 
troops ;  he  embarked,  for  the  purpose  of  ascending  the 
river,  with  fifty  of  his  best  soldiers,  and  after  a  voyage 
of  sixty  leagues,  he  surprised  Outina  in  the  midst  of  his 
tribe,  and  carried  him  away  prisoner,  declaring  the 
motives  which  had  led  them  to  this  measure. 

The  Indians  furnished  them  with  some  provisions, 
and  seeing  with  regret  that  they  would  not  give  their 
cacique  his  liberty,  they  placed  themselves  under  the 
authority  of  his  son,  that  they  might  still  rally  round  a 
chief,  and  a  name  which  was  dear  to  them.  Outina, 
having  become  a  captive,  made  many  promises  for  the 
sake  of  procuring  his  liberty,  and  the  season  permitted 
him  to  fulfil  them.  The  summer  commenced,  the  har 
vests  became  ripe,  and  they  began  to  gather  them  in  ; 
but  Outina  made  them  understand  that  these  harvests 
would  never  belong  to  those  who  kept  him  prisoner, 
and  that  the  Indians  would  rather  destroy  them  than 
leave  them  at  their  disposal.  Laudonniere  finally  con 
sented  to  give  the  cacique  his  liberty,  in  the  hope  that 
he  would  inspire  his  tribe  with  more  favourable  dispo 
sitions. 

The  whole  nation  was,  however,  irritated,  and  pre 
parations  were  everywhere  made  for  war.  Long  arrows 
were  stuck  in  the  field  with  scalps  hanging  at  the  tops ; 
large  trees  had  been  cut  down  to  obstruct  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  river,  so  that  the  boats  of  the  French  could 
not  return  to  Fort  Carolina.  They  had  killed  several 
soldiers  who  had  strayed  from  the  party,  and  they 
laid  ambuscades  for  the  troops.  A  detachment  of 
thirty  men,  commanded  by  Ottigny,  was  attacked,  by 
the  Indians,  who  had  divided  into  separate  bodies  that 
they  might  attack  them  successively.  Several  men 


76  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

were  killed,  twenty-two  wounded;  and  the  boats  to 
which  they  fled  had  great  difficulty  in  regaining  the 
fort.  The  commander  having  no  longer  any  thing  to 
expect  from  this  expedition,  sought  provisions  else 
where.  He  sent  several  vessels  along  the  coast,  and 
Captain  Levasseur  obtained  from  the  Indian  chiefs  two 
cargoes  of  maize.  They  then  hoped  that  they  \vould 
have  provisions  enough  to  return  to  France ;  they 
were  about  to  quit  this  establishment,  and  had  begun  to 
destroy  the  fortifications,  that  they  might  not  leave  to 
other  occupants  the  means  of  maintaining  themselves 
there. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1565,  they  discovered  four  ves 
sels  at  sea,  and  having  sent  to  know  whose  they  were, 
they  learnt  that  it  was  an  English  squadron,  command 
ed  by  Captain  Hawkins,  who  had  sailed  fifteen  days 
along  the  coast.  He  had  been  conducted  to  it  by  Mar 
tin  Atinas,  of  Dieppe,  who  had  formerly  discovered  it, 
for  he  had  accompanied  Ribaut  in  his  first  expedition. 
Haw7kins  desired  to  get  a  supply  of  water ;  his  demand 
was  granted,  and  he  came  himself,  in  one  of  the  boats 
belonging  to  his  ship,  to  pay  Laudonniere  a  visit,  and 
spend  some  days  with  him.  The  French  had  kept  till 
then,  in  the  midst  of  their  greatest  privations,  a  number 
of  domestic  fowls,  which  they  sought  to  naturalize  in 
this  country,  and  which  they  determined  to  keep  as  a 
last  resource.  They  killed  many  of  them  that  they 
might  better  entertain  the  English  captain  ;  and  he, 
having  learnt  the  intention  of  the  commander  to  return 
to  France,  offered  to  receive  him  and  all  his  followers 
on  board  one  of  his  vessels.  Laudonniere  would  not 
accept  the  offer ;  he  was  unacquainted  with  the  relations 
between  France  and  England  ;  the  two  powers  appeared 
to  him  to  be  but  ill  reconciled,  war  might  suddenly 
break  out  between  them,  and  if  it  did  occur  during 
the  voyage,  the  French  who  were  on  board  would,  on 
their  arrival  in  England,  be  retained  as  prisoners. 

However  plausible  were  these  reasons  of  Laudon 
niere,  his  refusal  excited  so  much  discontent  in  Fort 
Carolina,  that  all  wished  to  profit  by  the  occasion  offered 


SPANISH  FLEET  ARRIVES.  77 

them  to  embark.  Hawkins  proposed  to  take  at  with 
him  that  desired  it,  and  to  give  to  Laudonniere  ;-,  vessel 
to  transport  the  others.  This  offer  was  accepted ;  the 
price  of  the  ship  was  agreed  on,  and  they  gave,  as  a 
security  for  payment,  many  pieces  of  artillery  and  some 
munitions  of  war,  which  the  approaching  desertion  of 
the  fort  caused  them  to  regard  as  useless.  Hawkins 
seeing  that  they  had  nothing  but  maize  to  1  7e  on,  offer 
ed  them  twenty  barrels  of  flour,  beans,  salt,  other  pro 
visions,  and  some  wine;  he  furnished  stores  to  those 
who  had  none,  made  presents  to  the  officers,  and  con 
ducted  himself  towards  all  with  as  much  humanity  as 
courtesy. 

After  the  departure  of  Hawkins,  Laudonniere  hastily 
made  his  preparations  for  embarking,  and  on  the  28th 
of  August  they  set  sail,  when  they  discovered  several 
vessels ;  these  were  commanded  by  Captain  John  Ri- 
baut,  who  had  formerly  led  an  expedition  in  1562;  and 
was  to  succeed  Laudonniere.  A  false  imputation  had 
given  place  to  this  superseding :  some  malcontents,  re 
turned  to  France,  had  accused  him  of  being  too  severe 
towards  the  men  who  had  followed  him  ;  of  holding 
suspicious  correspondences ;  of  being  disposed  even  to 
rebellion.  Admiral  Coligni,  however,  wrote  to  him, 
that  they  had  no  cause  of  discontent  or  suspicion  against 
him,  and  that  the  king  only  desired  his  return  that  he 
might  better  know  the  situation  of  an  establishment  upon 
which  reports  differed,  and  determine  whether  it  should 
be  renounced,  or  whether  new  sacrifices  should  be 
made  to  maintain  it.  Ribaut  was  soon  convinced  of 
the  injustice  of  the  accusations  against  Laudonniere; 
and  desired  him  to  remain  with  him  in  the  colony ;  but 
he  could  not  submit  to  be  reduced  to  a  second  place 
in  a  country  where  he  had  commanded. 

Captain  Ribaut  had  only  been  seven  days  in  the 
ruined  fort,  which  he  had  again  built  up,  when  six 
large  vessels,  commanded  by  Don  Pedro  Melendez  de 
Avilez,  came  in  sight.  This  officer,  regarded  by  the 
Spaniards  as  one  of  the  greatest  captains  they  had  in 
the  New  World,  had  been  ordered  by  Philip  II.  to  visit 


78  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

all  the  coasts  of  Florida,  and  draw  an  exact  chart  of 
them,  which  might  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  pilots  in  the 
channel  of  Bahama,  where  frequent  shipwrecks  occur 
red.  Melendez  found  this  mission  too  limited ;  he  pro 
posed  to  the  king  to  form  an  establishment  in  Florida, 
and  to  propagate  the  true  faith  there.  •«  For  me,  sire," 
added  he,  "  the  blindness  of  so  many  thousands  of 
idolaters  has  so  greatly  affected  me,  that,  of  all  the  ap 
pointments  with  which  your  Majesty  can  honour  me, 
there  is  not  one  which  I  should  prefer  to  that  of  con 
quering  Florida,  and  converting  its  inhabitants  to  the 
true  faith." 

Philip  II.  accepted  the  offers  of  Melendez,  who  im 
mediately  began  his  preparations ;  and  his  expedition 
was  on  the  point  of  sailing;  when  he  learnt  that  the 
Protestants  established  in  America  were  about  to  re 
ceive  a  reinforcement  from  France.  Philip  II.  con 
ceived  the  design  of  destroying  it,  and  he  increased  the 
force  under  the  command  of  Melendez.  This  admiral 
departed  from  Cadiz  June  29th,  1565,  with  the  galleon 
Saint  Pelage  and  ten  other  vessels.  This  expedition 
was  characterized  as  a  holy  war ;  a  great  number  of 
volunteers  joined  him,  and  he  had  soon  under  his  com 
mand  two  thousand  six  hundred  men.  On  the  9th  of 
August,  he  arrived  before  Porto  Rico,  with  five  ships ; 
the  others  had  been  dispersed  in  a  tempest,  and  he  had 
now  only  a  third  part  of  his  troops.  He  then  learnt 
that  Ribaut  had  got  the  advance  of  him,  but  that  he 
had  remained  a  long  time  on  the  coast  before  landing. 

Melendez,  without  waiting  for  a  reinforcement,  re 
solved  to  prosecute  his  design :  he  gained  the  shores 
of  Florida,  and  soon  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river 
May.  Four  French  ships  were  anchored  without  the 
entrance  of  the  river,  not  being  able  to  cross  the  bar: 
Melendez  approached,  with  the  design  of  seizing  them  • 
he  took  some  men  prisoners  who  were  on  the  shore, 
addressed  a  summons  of  surrender  to  the  commander 
of  the  ships,  and  declared  that  he  had  come  to  engage 
in  a  war  with  the  Lutherans  to  whom  no  quarter  would 
be  shown;  that  the  Catholics  would  be  humanely  treated. 


THE  FRENCH  RESOLVE  TO  ATTACK  THE  SPANIARDS.  79 

out  that  the  heretics  should  be  treated  without  mercy. 
After  having  thus  menaced  them,  Melendez  sailed  out 
to  sea,  watching  for  the  ships ;  which  had  not  enough 
men  to  engage  with  him ;  but  they  had  time  to  fly,  and 
Melendez  not  being  able  to  overtake  them,  proceeded 
to  the  Dauphin  river,  and  the  French  vessels  returned 
to  their  station  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

Ribaut  now  resolved  to  re-embark  with  part  of  his 
troops,  and  attack  the  Spaniards.  Several  of  his  cap 
tains,  and  Laudonniere  particularly,  sought  in  vain  to 
dissuade  him  from  it ;  they  represented  to  him  that  it 
was  better  to  remain  on  shore  and  hasten  the  building 
of  their  fortifications,  that  it  was  dangerous  to  expose 
themselves  to  sudden  hurricanes  on  a  coast  where  these 
happened  so  very  often,  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  re 
turn  if  they  should  be  dispersed,  and  that  they  should 
not  abandon  the  fort  to  the  danger  of  being  taken  dur 
ing  their  absence.  But  Ribaut  was  resolved;  he  be 
lieved  himself  obliged  to  seek  the  enemy  according  to 
the  last  orders  that  he  had  received  from  Admiral  Co- 
ligni  before  his  departure  from  France.  His  instruction 
terminated  in  these  words :  "  In  concluding  this  letter, 
I  received  certain  information,  that  Don  Pedro  Melen 
dez  has  departed  from  Spain  to  go  to  the  coast  of  New 
France.  You  must  not  allow  him  to  encroach  upon  our 
possessions,  any  more  than  he  would  desire  you  to  en 
croach  upon  theirs."  That  Melendez  might  not  have 
time  to  establish  and  fortify  himself  on  the  coast  where 
he  had  landed,  Ribaut  embarked  all  his  own  soldiers 
and  the  greater  part  of  Laudonniere's,  and  departed 
September  10th,  never  again  to  return. 

The  Spanish  commander  was  distinguished  by  great 
activity.  Hardly  had  he  proceeded  to  the  Dauphin 
river,  when  he  landed  thirty  men.  to  choose  a  suitable 
place  for  the  establishment  he  desired  to  form ;  the  fort 
of  which  he  laid  the  foundation  received  the  name  of 
St.  Augustine,  and  it  was  not  till  some  time  after  that 
this  first  station  was  abandoned,  and  removed  farther 
south  to  the  place  which  it  now  occupies.  Melendez 
took  from  his  vessels  all  the  things  necessary  for  his 
8 


80  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

establishment,  and  then  learning  that  Ribaut  was  dis 
posed  to  attack  him,  he  sent  two  ships  for  reinforce 
ments  to  Hispaniola,  and  to  carry  to  Spain  certain 
.prisoners  whom  he  desired  to  deliver  to  the  inquisition : 
he  afterwards  stationed  himself  near  the  bar  of  the 
river  with  his  other  ships  and  a  part  of  his  troops ;  but 
no  engagement  took  place  between  the  two  squadrons. 
The  shallow  water  did  not  permit  Ribaut  to  cross  the 
bar ;  and  a  tempest  soon  after  arose  which  carried  the 
French  vessels  out  to  sea,  and  prevented  them  from 
again  uniting,  to  prepare  for  a  new  attack. 

This  separation  instantly  allowed  the  forces  of  Me- 
lendez  to  be  disposed  of.  He  made  haste  to  profit  by 
the  absence  of  Ribaut  to  attack  Fort  Carolina.  Five 
hundred  soldiers,  musketeers  and  those  carrying  rifles, 
were  chosen  for  this  enterprise :  he  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  vanguard,  composed  of  twenty  brave  sol 
diers  carrying  axes,  to  open  a  passage  through  the 
forest ;  and  he  had  no  guides  but  a  compass  and  a  pri 
soner  whose  hands  were  bound  behind  his  back. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day,  the  troops  arrived 
within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  place:  they  were 
fatigued ;  they  had  several  marshes  yet  to  cross ;  but 
so  violent  a  storm  arose  in  the  night,  that  the  officer 
of  the  guard,  charged  to  prevent  the  fort  from  being 
surprised,  believing  there  was  no  necessity  for  keeping 
watch,  permitted  the  soldiers  of  his  post  to  go  to  sleep. 
The  Spaniards  then  approached  by  favour  of  the  dark 
ness  without  being  heard :  the  place  was  surprised  at 
break  of  day,  and  they  entered  through  three  breaches 
at  the  same  time. 

Laudonniere  had  not  had  time  to  build  up  the  ruined 
fortifications  of  Fort  Carolina.  Ribaut  had  left  with 
him  the  women,  children,  and  sick ;  and  out  of  the  t\vo 
hundred  and  forty  persons  who  were  with  him,  only 
forty  were  in  a  condition  to  bear  arms.  He  wished  to 
withdraw  to  some  secure  place  to  make  head  against 
the  enemy,  and  to  wait  for  the  assistance  which  might 
be  furnished  him  by  three  ships  which  were  still  anchor 
ed  in  the  bay ;  but,  notwithstanding  his  valour,  he  could 


THE  SPANIARDS  DESTROY  THE  FRENCH  COLONISTS.   81 

not  maintain  his  place,  and  he  contented  himself  with 
protecting  the  retreat  of  the  men  rallied  round  him. 
Melendez  ordered  the  women  and  children  to  be  spared  ; 
no  mercy  was  shown  to  any  others,  and  those  who  had 
escaped  from  the  battle  were  reserved  for  the  scaffold. 
Laudonniere  having  only  one  soldier,  named  Bartho 
lomew,  with  him,  retreated  through  a  breach  and  gained 
the  woods,  where  some  others  had  taken  refuge ; 
thence  they  proceeded  across  the  marsh  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  The  ships  received  them :  twenty  others 
succeeded  in  escaping,  and  were  taken  up  by  the  ships, 
which  sailed  along  the  coast  for  that  purpose  ;  and  they 
set  sail  September  25th,  to  return  to  France. 

A  Spanish  garrison  was  left  by  Melendez  in  the  fort 
which  he  had  seized,  whilst  he  himself  hastily  returned 
to  St.  Augustine,  where  he  expected  to  be  soon  attacked. 
He  was  there  received  as  a  conqueror  of  the  heretics, 
by  the  clergy  bearing  a  cross,  and  singing  a  Te  Deum. 

This  bloody  expedition,  in  which  all  sentiments  of 
humanity  were  stifled  by  military  fury  and  religious 
fanaticism,  took  place  September  20th.  At  this  time  the 
squadron  of  Ribaut  was  tossed  about  by  tempests,  and 
dispersed  on  the  ocean.  This  violent  storm  lasted  till 
the  23d:  it  had  dispersed  the  French  ships,  and  after 
wards  brought  them  together,  and  broken  them  to  pieces 
on  the  rocks.  The  vessels  perished,  but  the  men  were 
saved,  only  to  meet  with  still  greater  misfortunes. 

Some  Indians  gave  information  to  Melendez  that  a 
large  number  of  white  persons  had  appeared  towards 
th'3  south,  on  the  other  side  of  a  river  which  they  de 
sired  to  cross.  Melendez  took  with  him  a  detachment 
to  discover  who  they  were ;  and  when  he  arrived  at 
the  banks  of  the  river  he  saw  a  Frenchman  swimming 
towards  him,  who  told  him  that  all  i/iese  men  were 
shipwrecked,  and  had  formed  part  of  Ribaut's  squadron. 
A  boat  was  then  sent  to  the  other  side,  to  receive  on 
board  an  officer  and  several  men  who  were  to  repre 
sent  trie  case  of  these  unfortunate  persons  to  Melendez ; 
they  told  him  that  they  had  lost  in  the  last  tempest  aU 
their  vessels,  and  they  begged  him  to  lend  them  one 

F 


82  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

that  they  might  return  to  Fort  Carolina,  which  wag 
situated  twenty  leagues  farther  towards  the  north. 
Melendez  replied  that  he  had  seized  the  fort,  and 
destroyed  the  garrison,  only  sparing  the  Catholics, 
the  women  and  children.  The  officer  then  asked  him 
for  a  ship  that  they  might  return  to  France,  on  the 
ground  that  the  nations  were  then  on  good  terms,  and 
the  sovereigns  friendly  to  one  another.  "  It  is  true," 
replied  Melendez,  "  that  the  French  Catholics  are  our 
allies  and  our  friends:  but  not  so  with  the  heretics, 
against  whom  I  will  prosecute  war  to  the  utmost ;  I 
will  show  no  mercy  to  any  of  this  sect  I  meet  with  on 
land  or  sea ;  and  in  this  I  hope  I  serve  both  kings.  I 
came  to  Florida  to  establish  the  Roman  Catholic  reli 
gion.  If  you  will  unconditionally  surrender  and  deliver 
up  your  arms  and  ensigns,  I  will  act  towards  you  as 
God  inspires  me :  if  not,  do  what  you  please ;  but  hope 
neither  friendship  nor  mercy  from  me." 

This  reply  was  returned  to  the  others,  who  offered  a 
ranson  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  for  their  lives.  Me 
lendez  refused,  and  said  if  he  did  do  it,  it  would  be  from 
generosity.  As  they  again  made  him  this  offer,  he  said 
he  would  rather  see  the  heaven  and  earth  joined  to 
gether  than  change  his  resolution. 

The  envoys  then  determined  to  throw  themselves  on 
the  mercy  of  Melendez.  They  suffered  themselves  to 
be  bound,  and  were  marched  between  two  files  of  mus 
keteers  to  an  eminence  where  their  companions  should 
be  successively  led.  Melendez  sent  his  boat  to  the 
other  side,  with  twenty  soldiers,  charging  them  to  re 
ceive  a  detachment  of  only  ten  men  at  a  time :  they 
were  also  bound,  and  placed  in  the  power  of  those 
whose  assistance  they  had  demanded ;  they  were  led 
to  the  place  designed  for  their  execution,  and  all  these 
victims  were  there  put  to  death  one  after  another. 
Eight  men  declared  that  they  were  Catholics  and  they 
were  spared;  all  the  others  declared  that  they  were 
followers  of  the  reformed  religion,  and  were  put  to 
death.  Two  hundred  men  were  thus  sacrificed. 

On   the   following   day,  Melendez   returned    to   St 


MASSACRE  OF  THE  FRENCH.  83 

Augustine.  He  soon  learnt  that  a  body  of  men  more 
numerous  than  the  first  had  arrived  near  the  same 
place;  and  he  proceeded  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
river  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers.  He  learnt, 
by  the  message  which  was  sent  him,  that  this  body 
consisted  of  three  hundred"" and  fifty  men,  commanded 
by  Ribaut,  viceroy  and  captain  general  of  New  France ; 
that  he  desired  to  return  to  Fort  Carolina,  and  begged 
the  loan  of  a  boat  to  cross  the  rivei*  that  he  had  to 
pass.  Ribaut  soon  came  himself,  in  a  small  canoe, 
with  eight  gentlemen ;  and  when  he  learnt  the  fate  of 
the  garrison,  and  that  of  the  first  persons  who  were 
shipwrecked,  he  told  the  Spanish  general  "that  the 
occurrences  of  life  were  so  various,  that  all  which  had 
happened  to  the  French  might  one  day  happen  to  him 
self;  that  their  kings  were  brothers  and  friends,  and 
that,  in  the  name  of  this  alliance,  he  prayed  him  to  fur 
nish  him  with  a  vessel  to  return  to  France." 

Ribaut  received  the  same  refusal  as  the  commander 
of  the  first  detachment ;  and  when  he  announced  it  to 
his  troops,  two  hundred  men  retired  the  following  night, 
that  they  might  not  be  left  at  the  discretion  of  Melen- 
dez :  the  remaining  hundred  and  fifty  consented  to  sur 
render  to  him ;  and  Ribaut,  who  had  promised  to  see 
him  again,  returned  according  to  his  word,  and  made 
known  their  resolution.  These  unfortunate  persons 
were  reserved  for  a  similar  fate :  they  were  obliged  to 
cross  the  river  by  detachments,  and  Melendez  inquired 
whether  they  were  Catholics  or  Lutherans.  Ribaut 
replied  that  they  were  of  the  reformed  religion.  He 
repeated  these  words;  " Domine,  memento  mei:"  he 
then  said ;  "  From  the  dust  we  are  made,  and  unto  dust 
we  shall  return;  twenty  years  sooner  or  later,  it  is  all 
the  same.  Let  them  do  with  me  what  they  please." 
The  signal  for  their  execution  was  given;  four  men 
declared  that  they  were  Catholics,  and  were  the  only 
ones  that  were  spared. 

In  order  to  relate  these  deplorable  events,  we  have 
consulted  the  relations  of  the  Spaniards  themselves, 
particularly  those  of  Solis  de  las  Meras,  brother-in-law 


84  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

of  Melendez.  We  cannot  suppose  him  capable  of  cast 
ing  calumny  on  the  memory  of  a  relative,  and  we 
leave  him,  surrounded  by  his  victims,  to  the  judgment 
of  posterity. 

They  learnt,  three  weeks  after  this  bloody  event,  that 
the  French  were  constructing  a  fort  and  a  vessel  on  the 
coast  of  Canaveral.  Melendez  believed  them  to  be  the 
two  hundred  men  who  had  escaped  the  {ate  of  Ribaut, 
and  proceeded  with  a  greater  number  of  troops,  to  this 
coast,  which  he  reached  on  the  1st  of  November.  The 
French,  not  having  finished  their  fortifications,  retired 
to  a  height,  and  Melendez  proposed  to  them  to  join  him, 
assuring  them  that  he  would  treat  them  as  his  own  sol 
diers  :  the  greater  part  consented ;  but  twenty  of  them 
declared  that  they  would  rather  be  devoured  by  the 
savages  than  put  themselves  in  his  power ;  and  they  fled 
into  the  forests. 

We  have  seen  that  the  prisoners  taken  by  Melendez, 
at  the  beginning  of  his  expedition,  had  been  sent  on 
board  a  ship,  to  be  transported  to  Spain ;  but  they  broke 
their  fetters,  seized  the  vessel,  and  changing  its  direc 
tion,  they  proceeded  to  Denmark,  whence  they  reached 
France.  These  men  were  the  sad  remains  of  expedi 
tions  made  at  three  periods,  to  found  a  colony  in  the 
north  of  Florida. 

The  news  of  the  destruction  of  this  colony  excited 
the  public  indignation  of  the  French;  but  the  war 
against  the  Huguenots  again  broke  out.  The  court 
hated  them ;  it  looked  upon  Admiral  Coligni  as  their 
principal  chief.  All  that  he  had  done  in  behalf  of  the 
Protestants  was  considered  as  a  consequence  of  crim 
inal  hostilities ;  and  the  persons  who  had  enjoyed  his 
favour  were  no  longer  protected  by  the  power  of  the 
king.  His  projects  of  founding  a  colony  were  aban 
doned:  they  did  not  wish  to  be  at  war  with  Spain. 
They  concealed  the  resentment  excited  by  this  bloody 
outrage ;  and  a  single  soldier  resolved  to  avenge  it. 

Captain  Dominic  de  Gourgues,  born  at  Mont-de-Mar- 
sau,  had  been  employed  in  the  service  of  the  kings  of 
France,  in  all  their  wars  for  thirty  years.  He  had  sig 
nalized  himself  by  many  heroic  actions ;  and  his  last 


EXPEDITION  OF  GOURGUES.  85 

deed  in  arms,  in  Italy,  had  been  to  sustain  a  siege  with 
thirty  men  against  a  body  of  Spanish  soldiers.  The 
place  was  taken  by  assault,  and  the  garrison  put  to  the 
sword ;  they  only  spared  the  life  of  Gourgues  to  make 
him  serve  as  a  galley-slave.  The  ship  in  which  he 
laboured  was  captured  by  the  Turks,  near  the  coast  of 
Sicily,  and  conducted  to  Rhodes,  and  thence  to  Constan 
tinople  ;  but  having  been  again  sent  to  sea,  he  was  re 
taken  by  Romegas,  commander  of  the  galleys  of  Malta. 
De  Gourgues  recovered  his  liberty  and  returned  to 
France.  He  afterwards  made  a  voyage  to  the  coast 
of  Africa,  to  Brazil  and  the  Indian  seas;  and  on  his 
return  to  his  country,  he  learnt  the  massacre  of  the 
French,  established  in  the  north  of  Florida,  and  he  re 
solved  to  be  revenged. 

De  Gourgues  borrowed  some  money,  and  sold  some 
of  his  property,  to  equip  three  ships,  manned  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  and  eighty  sailors,  with  pro 
visions  for  one  year :  his  lieutenant  was  Captain  Case- 
nova.  The  expedition  departed  from  Bourdeaux  on  the 
second  of  August,  1567 ;  contrary  winds  kept  them 
near  Royau,  and  afterwards  by  the  mouth  of  the  Cha- 
rente,  whence  they  gained  the  sea.  They  reached  the 
shores  of  Cuba,  after  a  long  voyage,  and  gained  Cape 
St.  Antonio,  situated  at  the  western  extremity  of  this 
island.  De  Gourgues  then  assembled  his  crew  and 
pictured  to  them  the  cruelties  which  the  Spaniards  had 
exercised  towards  the  French.  "  Behold,"  added  he, 
"  the  crime  of  our  enemies ;  and  what  would  ours  be 
should  we  longer  defer  to  revenge  the  affront  whicl 
has  been  cast  on  the  French  nation !  It  is  this  that  has 
engaged  me  to  sell  all  my  property ;  it  is  this  which 
has  opened  to  me  the  purses  of  my  friends.  I  have 
reckoned  upon  you ;  I  believed  you  jealous  enough  of 
the  honour  of  your  country,  to  sacrifice  even  your 
lives  on  an  occasion  of  this  importance.  Am  I  de 
ceived  ?  I  hope  to  give  you  an  example — to  be  always 
at  your  head ;  will  you  refuse  to  follow  me  ?"  The 
soldiers  declared  that  they  would  never  forsake  him. 

The  flotilla  scudded  along  to  the  north  of  the  island 


86  JNDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

to  gain  the  Bahama  channel ;  it  reached  the  coasts  of 
Florida,  passed  the  river  May,  where  the  Spaniards 
saluted  them  with  two  cannons,  and  continued  sailing 
along  the  coast  till  they  had  lost  sight  of  the  river.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  night,  De  Gourgues  landed,  fifteen 
leagues  to  the  north  of  the  fortress,  on  the  shores  of  the 
river  which  we  have  called  Seine,  and  endeavoured  to 
form  amicable  relations  with  Saturiova  and  the  Indians, 
who  were  irritated  at  the  ill  treatment  they  had  re 
ceived  since  the  departure  of  the  French.  A  young 
man,  named  Pierre  de  Bray,  a  native  of  Havre,  was 
found  among  this  tribe ;  he  was  one  of  those  who  had 
escaped  from  Fort  Carolina,  when  Melendez  had  seized 
it,  and  had  been  humanely  received  by  Saturiova.  Dur 
ing  his  stay  among  the  savages  he  learnt  their  language ; 
he  was  able  to  serve  as  interpreter,  and  his  intervention 
was  so  much  the  more  useful,  as  the  Indians  joined  De 
Gourgues'  expedition.  They  agreed  to  meet  him  by 
the  side  of  the  river  four  leagues  from  the  fort,  and  the 
captain  sent  some  men  to  find  out  the  condition  of  the 
enemy's  entrenchments.  Pedro  Melendez  had  left 
there  four  hundred  Spaniards,  under  the  command  of 
Villareal :  they  were  distributed  in  three  forts.  The 
largest  was  that  which  had  belonged  to  the  French, 
and  which  had  been  put  in  a  condition  for  defence. 
The  other  two  had  been  built  by  Villareal,  at  the  dis 
tance  of  two  leagues  from  the  first,  towards  the  lower 
part  of  the  river,  which  separated  them  from  one  an 
other.  Each  of  these  posts  was  guarded  by  sixty  men. 
The  French  and  Indians  crossed,  without  being  per 
ceived,  a  small  river  near  one  of  the  smaller  forts.  De 
Gourgues  attacked  it  on  both  sides  at  once,  and  the 
enemy,  not  being  able  to  withstand  his  impetuous 
shock,  took  to  flight.  They  were  between  two  fires, 
and  not  one  of  them  escaped.  The  greater  part  were 
killed  in  battle ;  the  others  were  reserved  for  a  more 
dreadful  death.  The  second  fort  was  attacked  with 
the  same  order:  De  Gourgues  had  crossed  the  river 
with  twenty  musketeers,  and  the  Indians  joined  him  by 
swimming.  The  enemy,  forced  from  their  entrench- 


REVENGE  UPON  THE  SPANIARDS.         87 

ments,  endeavoured  to  retreat  through  the  woods  to 
the  principal  fort ;  but  they  met  with  the  same  fate  as 
the  first. 

Before  marching  towards  the  large  fort  which  con 
tained  two  hundred  and  sixty  men,  De  Gourgues  sent 
the  Indians  to  form  ambuscades  in  the  forest ;  he  left 
an  officer  with  fifteen  musketeers  in  one  of  the  small 
forts,  ascended  the  river  with  his  troops,  and  sought,  in 
approaching  the  fortress,  the  means  of  attacking  it  at 
the  point  which  appeared  most  accessible. 

On  the  first  rumour  of  his  approach,  Villareal  had 
sent  a  detachment  of  eighty  men  to  watch  the  motions 
of  the  enemy.  This  corps  was  surrounded :  De  Gour 
gues  attacked  it  in  person ;  Casenova  prevented  their 
retreat,  and  they  were  cut  in  pieces.  This  battle  so 
terrified  the  Spaniards  in  the  fort,  that  they  no  longer 
thought  of  defending  it ;  they  precipitately  escaped  and 
fled  into  the  forests ;  but  they  were  there  received  by 
the  Indians,  who  shot  them  with  their  arrows.  The 
few  who  fell  living  into  the  hands  of  the  conqueror, 
were  hung  on  the  same  trees  where,  three  years  be 
fore,  they  had  hung  the  French.  It  is  said  that  Me- 
lendez  had  attached  to  the  place  of  execution  the 
following  inscription:  "I  do  not  treat  them  thus  as 
Frenchmen,  but  as  Protestants."  De  Gourgues  placed 
the  following  inscription  over  his  victims :  "  I  do  not 
this  as  unto  Spaniards  or  mariners,  but  as  unto  traitors, 
robbers,  and  murderers." 

The  commander  had  not  men  enough  to  keep  pos 
session  of  the  forts,  and  to  establish  themselves  in  a 
country  where  the  Spaniards  could  easily  collect  a 
more  numerous  body  of  troops :  he  made  the  Indians 
destroy  the  fortifications,  after  having  conveyed  to  his 
ships  the  pieces  of  artillery  he  found  there.  Casenova 
was  charged  to  conduct  this  convoy  to  the  river  Seine, 
where  the  large  ships  had  been  left,  and  De  Gourgues 
proceeded  by  land  to  the  same  point,  with  eighty  mus 
keteers,  carrying  with  them  lighted  matches,  and  forty 
sailors  armed  with  pikes.  The  Indians  came  from  aft 


88  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

parts  to  honour  him  as  their  deliverer:  he  received 
them  with  many  testimonials  of  friendship,  and  accord 
ing  to  their  wishes  promised  to  return  in  twelve  moons. 
His  vessels  were  in  a  good  condition  and  ready  to  sail' 
he  embarked  May  3d,  1558;  his  passage  was  pros 
perous  :  he  sailed  eleven  hundred  leagues  in  seventeen 
days,  and  continuing  his  voyage,  arrived  at  Rochelle  on 
the  6th  of  June.  After  having  received  in  this  city  the 
most  distinguished  honours,  he  embarked  for  Bour- 
deaux,  and  hastened  to  give  an  account  of  his  expedi 
tion  to  Montluc,  who  had  favoured  him,  and  who  was 
then  in  the  central  part  of  France. 

The  report  of  this  courageous  enterprise  was  soon 
every  where  spread,  and  the  Spanish  vessels,  which  were 
cruising  along  the  shores,  hastened  towards  the  entrance 
of  the  port  of  Rochelle  to  arrest  De  Gourgues  on  his 
passage ;  but  they  arrived  too  late.  This  officer  had 
departed.  They  followed  him  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Goronde,  and  ascended  this  river  to  Blaye  without  be 
ing  able  to  come  up  with  him.  De  Gourgues  after 
wards  went  to  Paris.  He  offered  his  services  to  the 
king,  and  proposed  a  plan  for  reducing  to  his  authority 
the  country  he  had  discovered ;  but  the  Spanish  go 
vernment  endeavoured  to  obtain  justice  from  Charles 
IX.  for  this  bloody  outrage :  they  represented  it  as  a 
crime  against  the  alliance  formed  by  the  two  courts, 
and  De  Gourgues  was  forced  to  fly  to  Rouen,  and  keep 
in  concealment  for  some  time. 

This  expedition  will  remain  in  history  as  a  remark 
able  monument  of  patriotism  and  intrepidity;  but  in 
honouring  it  under  this  title,  we  must  lament  an  age  in 
which  such  terrible  reprisals  were  considered  as  an  act 
of  justice.  The  reprisal  not  only  reached  the  guilty ; 
it  fell  on  the  innocent,  and  mingled  the  grossest  injus 
tice  with  revenge. 

De  Gourgues,  persecuted  and  afterwards  neglected 
by  his  sovereign,  found  strangers  more  benevolent  to 
wards  him :  Elizabeth,  queen  of  England,  gladly  re 
ceived  him  on  account  of  his  merit ;  and  Don  Antonio, 


REFLECTIONS.  89 

who  pretended  to  the  succession  of  Sebastian,  king  of 
Portugal,  chose  him,  twelve  years  after,  to  be  admiral 
of  the  fleet  which  he  had  armed  .against  Spain ;  but  De 
Gourgues  was  now  enfeebled  by  age,  and  died  before 
he  had  entered  upon  his  duties. 

The  countries  which  this  enterprising  man  had 
wished  to  reconquer,  were  now  forgotten.  They  had 
cost  useless  sacrifices ;  an  improvident  policy  had 
caused  them  to  be  abandoned;  and  if  we  inquire  into 
the  causes  which  made  these  great  enterprises  mis 
carry,  we  shall  find  them  especially  in  the  want  of 
union.  The  men  belonging  to  the  first  expedition  were 
no  longer  in  America  when  the  government  sent  them 
its  tardy  assistance.  Those  of  the  second  were  pre 
paring  to  quit  their  fortress ;  they  had  torn  down  the 
fortifications,  and  made  them  unfit  to  sustain  a  siege, 
when  they  were  suddenly  assaulted  by  an  enemy  supe 
rior  in  numbers.  These  contrarieties  would  not  have 
taken  place,  had  the  project  of  founding  a  colony  been 
executed  with  a  spirit  of  union,  which  alone  is  suffi 
cient  to  assure  success. 

But  the  character  of  Protestants,  impressed  on  this 
new  colony,  exposed  it,  from  its  origin,  to  all  the  perse 
cutions  directed  at  that  time  in  France  against  the  Cal- 
vinists.  It  could  not  expect  any  assistance  from  the 
sovereign,  when  the  reformers  were  at  war  with  him. 
It  was  protected  only  during  the  truces  which  were 
sometimes  made;  but  then  the  opportunity  was  lost, 
the  fruit  of  their  former  labours  could  not  be  gathered 
in  time,  and  the  evil  became  irremediable  when  the 
government  itself  considered  as  mortal  enemies  all  per 
sons  who  were  not  of  the  Catholic  faith. 

The  other  governments  of  Europe,  if  they  did  not 
show  themselves  more  tolerant  towards  those  who  had 
a  different  faith,  had  at  least  a  policy  more  enlightened 
and  more  happy  in  its  results.  They  exiled  a  part  of 
the  dissenters,  and  encouraged  the  others  to  emigrate  ; 
but  they  sent  them  from  home  into  their  colonies ;  they 
followed  them  with  their  supervision,  and  protected 


CJO  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

them  in  their  places  of  refuge :  they  only  saw  in  these 
new  establishments  an  increase  of  the  power  of  the 
mother  country.  It  was  extending  beyond  the  seas  her 
power,  commerce,  and  industry;  and  it  opened  to  men 
discontented  with  their  situation,  another  career  and  a 
new  field  for  hope. 


CHAPTER    II. 


EARLY    INDIAN    WARS    OP  VIRGINIA. 


IREVIOUS  to  the  final  set- 
tlement  of  Virginia,  many 
attempts  at  colonization 
were  made  on  the  soil  of 
the  United  States.  Seve 
ral  expeditions  were  sent 
to  the  coasts  of  Maine; 
and  all  readers  of  Ameri 
can  history  are  familiar 
with  the  repeated  unsuc 
cessful  attempts  of  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  to  establish  a  permanent  colony  in 
Roanoke,  in  North  Carolina.  At  length,  James  I., 
having  divided  that  portion  of  North  America  which 
extends  from  the  '  thirty-eighth  to  the  forty-fifth  de 
gree  of  north  latitude,  into  two  portions,  the  one 
called  the  first  or  south  colony  of  Virginia,  and  the 
other  the  second  or  north  colony,  authorized  Sir 
Thomas  Gates,  Sir  George  Somers,  and  their  asso 
ciates  in  London,  to  settle  any  part  of  the  former 
which  they  might  choose ;  and  several  knights,  gentle- 
men,  and  merchants,  of  Bristol  and  Plymouth,  com 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  91 

monly  called  the  Plymouth  company,  to  ooci/py  the 
latter. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  hundred  and  ten  years  from  the 
discovery  of  the  continent  by  Cabot,  and  twenty-two 
years  after  its  first  occupation  by  Raleigh,  were  the 
number  of  the  English  colonists  limited  to  a  hundred 
and  five ;  and  this  handful  of  men  proceeded  to  execute 
the  arduous  task  of  peopling  a  remote  and  uncultivated 
land,  covered  with  woods  and  marshes,  and  inhabited 
only  by  tribes  of  savages  and  beasts  of  prey. 

Newport  and  his  squadron,  pursuing  for  some  un 
known  reason  the  ancient  circuitous  track  to^America, 
did  not  accomplish  their  voyage  in  a  shorter  period 
than  four  months ;  but  its  termination  was  rendered 
peculiarly  fortunate  by  the  effect  of  a  storm  which 
overruled  their  destination  to  Roanoke,  and  carried 
them  into  the  bay  of  Chesapeake.  As  they  advanced 
into  the  bay  that  seemed  to  invite  their  approach,  they 
beheld  all  the  advantages  of  this  spacious  haven,  re 
plenished  by  the  waters  of  so  many  great  rivers  that 
fertilize  the  soil  of  that  extensive  district  of  America, 
and  affording  commodious  inlets  into  the  interior  parts, 
facilitate  their  foreign  commerce  and  mutual  communi 
cation.  Newport  first  landed  on  a  promontory  forming 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  bay,  which,  in  honour  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  he  named  Cape  Henry.  Thence 
coasting  the  southern  shore,  he  entered  a  river  which 
the  natives  called  Powhatan,  and  explored  its  banks 
for  the  space  of  forty  miles  from  its  mouth.  Strongly 
impressed  with  tlie  superior  advantages  of  the  coast 
and  region  to  which  they  had  been  thus  happily  con 
ducted,  the  adventurers  unanimously  determined  to 
make  this  the  place  of  their  abode.  They  gave  to  their 
infant  settlement,  as  well  as  to  the  neighbouring  river, 
the  name  of  their  king;  and  Jamestown  retains  the 
distinction  of  being  the  oldest  existing  habitation  of  the 
English  in  America. 

But  the  dissensions  that  broke  out  among  the  colo 
nists  soon -threatened  to  deprive  them  of  all  the  advan 
tages  of  their  well-selected  station.  Their  animosities 


92  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

were  powerfully  inflamed  by  an  arrangement  which,  if 
it  did  not  originate  with  the  king,   at  least  evinces  a 
strong  affinity  to  that  ostentatious  mystery  and  driftless 
artifice  which  he  affected  as  the  perfection  of  political 
dexterity.     TKe  names  of  the  colonial  council  were  not 
communicated  to  the  adventurers  when  they  departed 
from   England;    but   a   commission  which   contained 
them  was  Inclosed  in  a  sealed  packet,  which  was  di 
rected  to  be  opened  within  twenty-four  hours  after  their 
arrival  on  the  coast  of  Virginia,  when  the  counsellors 
were  to  be  installed  into  their  office,  and  to  elect  their 
o\vn   president.      The  dissensions  incident  to  a  long 
voyage,  and  a  body  of  adventurers  rather  conjoined 
than  united,  had  free  scope  among  men  unaware  of 
the  relations  they  were  to  occupy  towards  each  other, 
and  of  the  subordination  which  their  relative  stations 
might  imply ;  and  when  the  names  of  the  council  were 
proclaimed,  they  were  far  from  giving  general  satisfac 
tion.     Captain  Smith,  whose  superior  talents  and  cou 
rage  had  excited  the  envy  and  jealousy  of  his  col 
leagues,  was  excluded  from  the  seat  in  council  which 
the  commission  conferred  on  him,  and  even  accused  of 
traitorous  designs  so  unproved   and   improbable,  that 
none  less  believed  the  charge  than  the  parties  who  pre 
ferred  it.     The  privation  of  his  counsel  and  services  in 
the  difficulties  of  their  outset  was  a  serious  loss  to  the 
colonists,  and  might  have  been  attended  with  ruin  to 
the  settlement,  if  his  merit  and  generosity  had  not  been 
superior  to   their  mean  injustice.     The  jealous  suspi 
cions  of  the  person  who  had  been  elected  president 
restrained  the  use  of  arms,  and  discouraged  the  con 
struction  of  fortifications ;  and  a  misunderstanding  hav 
ing  arisen  with  the  Indians,  the  colonists,  unprepared 
for  hostilities,  suffered  severely  from  one  of  the  sudden 
-  attacks  characteristic  of  the  warfare  of  these  savages. 

Newport  had  been  ordered  to  return  with  the  ships 
to  England;  and  as  the  time  of  his  departure  ap 
proached,  the  accusers  of  Smith,  affecting  a  humanity 
they  did  not  feel,  proposed  that  he  should  return  with 
Newport,  instead  of  being  prosecuted  in  Virginia.  But, 


THE  INDIANS  BRING  PROVISIONS.  93 

happily  for  the  colony,  he  scorned  so  to  compromise 
his  integrity ;  and  demanding  a  trial,  was  honourably 
acquitted,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  council. 

The  fleet  had  been  better  victualled  than  the  stores 
of  the  colony ;  and  while  it  remained  with  them,  the 
colonists  were  permitted  to  share  the  abundance  enjoyed 
by  the  sailors.  But  when  Newport  set  sail  for  England, 
they  found  themselves  limited  to  scanty  supplies  of  un 
wholesome  provisions ;  and  the  sultry  heat  of  the  cli 
mate,  a-nd  moisture  of  a  country  overgrown  with  wood, 
concurring  with  the  defects  of  their  diet,  brought  on 
diseases  that  raged  with  fatal  violence.  Before  the 
month  of  September,  one  half  of  their  number  had  per 
ished,  and  among  them  was  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  who 
had  planned  the  expedition*  and  eminently  contributed 
to  its  accomplishment.  This  scene  of  distress  was 
heightened  by  internal  dissensions.  The  president  was 
accused  of  embezzling  the  stores,  and  finally  detected 
in  an  attempt  to  seize  a  pinnace  and  escape  from  the 
colony  and  its  calamities.  At  length,  in  the  extremity 
of  their  distress,  when  ruin  seemed  alike  to  impend 
from  famine  and  the  fury  of  the  savages,  the  colony 
was  delivered  from  danger  by  a  supply  which  the  piety 
of  Smith  is  not  ashamed  to  ascribe  to  the  influence  of 
God  in  suspending  the  passions  and  controlling  the  sen 
timents  of  men.  The  savages,  actuated  by  a  sudden 
change  of  feeling,  presented  them  with  a  supply  of  pro-  f 
visions  so  abundant  as  at  once  to  dissipate  their  appre- ' 
hensions  of  famine  and  hostility. 

Resuming  their  spirit,  the  colonists  now  proved  them 
selves  not  entirely  uninstructed  by  their  misfortunes.  In 
seasons  of  exigency,  merit  is  illustrated,  and  the  envy 
that  pursues  it,  absorbed  by  interest  and  alarm.  Their 
sense  of  common  and  inevitable  danger  suggested  and 
enforced  submission  to  the  man  whose  talents  were 
most  likely  to  extricate  them  from  the  difficulties  with 
which  they  were  surrounded.  Every  eye  was  now 
turned  on  Smith,  and  all  willingly  devolved  on  him  the 
authority  which  they  had  formerly  evinced  so  much 
iealousy  of  his  acquiring.  This  eminent  person,  whose 
9 


94  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

name  will  be  for  ever  associated  with  the  foundation  oi 
civilized  society  in  America,  was  descended  of  a  re 
spectable  family  in  Lincolnshire,  and  born  to  a  compe 
tent  fortune.  At  a  very  early  age  his  ardent  mind  had 
been  strongly  smitten  with  the  spirit  of  adventure  that 
prevailed  so  powerfully  in  England  during  the  reign  of 
Elizabeth;  and,  yielding  to  his  inclinations,  he  had 
passed  through  a  vast  variety  of  military  service,  with 
little  gain,  but  great  reputation,  and  with  the  acquisition 
of  an  experience  the  more  valuable  that  it  was  obtained 
without  exhausting  his  ardour  or  tainting  his  morals. 
The  vigour  of  his  constitution  had  preserved  his  health 
unimpaired  amidst  the  general  sickness ;  his  undaunted 
temper  retained  his  spirits  unbroken,  and  his  judgment 
unclouded,  amidst  the  general  misery  and  dejection; 
and  the  ardour  of  his  disposition,  which  once  subjected 
him  to  the  reproach  of  overweening  ambition,  was  now 
felt  to  diffuse  an  animating  glow  of  hope  and  courage 
among  all  around  him.  A  strong  sense  of  religion  pre 
dominated  in  the  mind  of  this  superior  man,  combined 
and  subordinated  all  his  faculties,  refreshed  his  con 
fidence,  extended  and  yet  regulated  his  views,  and  gave 
dignity  to  his  character,  and  consistency  to  his  conduct. 
Assuming  the  direction  of  the  affairs  of  the  colonists, 
he  instantly  adopted  the  only  plan  that  could  save  them 
from  destruction.  Under  his  directions  James-Town 
was  fortified  by  such  defences  as  were  sufficient  to 
repel  the  attacks  of  the  savages ;  and,  by  dint  of  great 
labour,  which  he  was  always  the  foremost  to  share,  the 
colonists  were  provided  with  dwellings  that  afforded 
shelter  from  the  weather,  and  contributed  to  restore  and 
preserve  their  health.  Finding  the  supplies  of  the  sa 
vages  discontinued,  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
detachment  of  his  people,  and  penetrated  into  the 
country;  and  by  courtesy  and  liberality  to  the  tribes 
whom  he  found  well  disposed,  and  vigorously  repelling 
the  hostilities  of  such  as  were  otherwise  minded,  he 
obtained  for  the  colony  the  most  abundant  supplies. 

In  the  midst  of  his  successes  he  was  surprised  on  an 
expedition,  by  a  hostile  body  of  savages,  who,  having 


CAFfAIN  SMITH  A  PRISONER.  97 

succeeded  in  making  him  prisoner,  after  a  gallant  and 
nearly  successful  defence,  prepared  to  inflict  on  him 
the  usual  fate  of  their  captives.  His  eminent  faculties 
did  not  desert  him  on  this  trying  occasion.  He  desired 
to  speak  with  the  sachem  or  chief,  and,  presenting  him 
with  a  mariner's  compass,  expatiated  on  the  wonderful 
discoveries  to  which  it  had  led,  described  the  shape  of 
the  earth,  the  vastness  of  its  lands  and  oceans,  the 
course  of  the  sun,  the  varieties  of  nations,  and  the  sin 
gularity  of  their  relative  positions,  which  made  some 
of  them  antipodes  to  the  others.  With  equal  prudence 
and  magnanimity  he  refrained  from  all  solicitations  for 
his  life,  which  would  only  have  weakened  the  impres 
sion  which  he  hoped  to  produce.  The  savages  listened 
with  amazement  and  admiration.  They  had  handled 
the  compass,  and  viewing  with  surprise  the  play  of  the 
needle,  which  they  plainly  saw,  but  found  it  impossible 
to  touch,  from  the  intervention  of  the  glass,  this  mar 
vellous  object  prepared  their  minds  for  the  reception  of 
those  vast  impressions  by  which  their  captive  endea 
voured  to  gain  ascendency  over  them.  For  an  hour 
after  he  had  finished  his  harangue,  they  seem  to  have 
remained  undecided;  till  their  habitual  sentiments  re 
viving,  they  resumed  their  suspended  purpose,  and, 
having  bound  him  to  a  tree,  prepared  to  dispatch  him 
with  their  arrows.  But  a  stronger  impression  had  been 
made  on  their  chief;  and  his  soul,  enlarged  for  a  season 
by  the  admission  of  knowledge,  or  subdued  by  the  influ 
ence  of  wonder,  revolted  from  the  dominion  of  habitual  fe 
rocity.  This  chief  was  named  Opechancanough,  and  des 
tined  at  a  future  period  to  invest  his  barbarous  name  with 
terror  and  celebrity.  Holding  up  the  compass  in  his  hand, 
he  gave  the  signal  of  reprieve,  and  Smith,  though  still 
guarded  as  a  prisoner,  was  conducted  to  a  dwelling  where 
he  was  kindly  treated,  and  plentifully  entertained.  (See 
Engraving,  on  the  opposite  page.)  But  the  strongest  im 
pressions  pass  away,  while  the  influence  of  habit  remains. 
After  vainly  endeavouring  to  prevail  on  their  captive 
to  betray  the  English  colony  into  their  hands,  they  refer 
red  his  fate  to  Powhatan,  the  king  or  principal  sachem  of 
G 


98  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  country,  to  whose  presence  they  conducted  him  in 
triumphal  procession.  The  king  received  him  with 
much  ceremony,  ordered  a  plentiful  repast  to  be  set 
before  him,  and  then  adjudged  him  to  suffer  death  by 
having  his  head  laid  on  a  stone  and  beat  to  pieces  with 
clubs.  At  the  place  appointed  for  this  barbarous  execu 
tion,  he  was  again  rescued  from  impending  fate  by  the 
interposition  of  Pocahontas,  the  favourite  daughter  of 
the  king,  who,  finding  her  first  entreaties  disregarded, 
threw  her  arms  around  the  prisoner,  and  declared  her 
determination  to  save  him  or  die  with  him.  Her  gene 
rous  affection  prevailed  over  the  cruelty  of  her  tribe, 
and  the  king  not  only  gave  Smith  his  life,  but  soon  after 
sent  him  back  to  James-Town,  where  the  beneficence  of 
Pocahontas  continued  to  follow  him  with  supplies  of 
provisions  that  delivered  the  colony  from  famine. 

After  an  absence  of  seven  weeks,  Smith  returned  to 
James-Town,  barely  in  time  to  prevent  the  desertion  of 
the  colony.  His  associates,  reduced  to  the  number  of 
thirty-eight,  impatient  of  farther  stay  in  a  country 
where  they  had  met  with  so  many  discouragements, 
and  where  they  seemed  fated  to  re-enact  the  disasters 
of  Roanoke,  were  preparing  to  abandon  the  settlement ; 
and  it  was  not  without  the  utmost  difficulty,  and  alter 
nately  employing  persuasion,  remonstrance,  and  even 
violent  interference,  that  Smith  prevailed  with  them  to 
relinquish  their  design.  The  provisions  that  Poca 
hontas  had  sent  to  him  relieved  their  present  wants ; 
his  account  of  the  plenty  he  had  witnessed  among  the 
savages  revived  their  hopes ;  and  he  endeavoured,  by 
a  diligent  improvement  of  the  favourable  impressions 
he  had  made  upon  the  savages,  and  by  a  judicious 
regulation  of  ^the*  intercourse  between  them  and  the 
colonists,  to  effect  a  union  of  interests  and  mutual  par 
ticipation  of  advantages  between  the  two  races  of  peo 
ple.  His  generous  efforts  were  successful ;  he  preserved 
plenty  among  the  English,  and  extended  his  influence 
and  repute  among  the  Indians,  who  began  to  respect 
and  consult  their  former  captive  as  a  superior  being. 
If  Smith  had  sought  only  to  magnify  his  own  repute 


POCAHONTAS  RESCUING  CAPTAIN 


SMITH'S  ATTEMPTS  TO  CONVERT  THE  INDIANS.        99 

and  establishing  his  dominion,  he  might  easily  have 
passed  with  the  savages  for  a  demigod ;  for  they  were 
not  more  averse  to  yield  the  allegiance  which  he 
claimed  for  their  Creator,  than  forward  to  render  it  to 
himself,  and  to  embrace  every  pretension  he  might  ad 
vice  in  his  own  behalf.  But  no  alluring  prospect  of 
dominion"  over  men  could  tempt  him  to  forget  that  he 
was  the  servant  of  God,  or  aspire  to  be  regarded  in 
any  other  light  by  his  fellow-creatures.  He  employed 
his  best  endeavours  to  divert  the  savages  from  their 
idolatrous  superstition,  and  made  them  all  aware  that 
the  man  whose  superiority  they  acknowledged  despised 
their  false  deities,  adored  the  true  God,  and  obtained 
from  Him,  by  prayer,  the  wisdom  they  so  highly  com 
mended.  The  effect  of  his  pious  endeavours  was  ob 
structed  by  imperfect  acquaintance  with  their  language, 
and  very  ill  seconded  by  the  conduct  of  his  associates, 
which  contributed  to  persuade  the  Indians  that  his  reli 
gion  was  something  peculiar  to  himself.  The  influence, 
too,  of  human  superiority,  however  calculated  to  im 
press,  is  by  no  means  formed  to  convert  the  mind.  It 
is  so  apt  to  give  a  wrong  direction  to  the  impressions 
which  it  produces,  and  is  so  remote  from  the  channel 
in  which  Christianity  from  the  beginning  has  been 
appointed  to  flow,  that  the  first  and  most  successful 
efforts  to  convert  mankind  were  made  by  men  who 
possessed  little  of  it,  and  who  renounced  the  little  they 
possessed.  Smith,  partly  from  the  difficulties  of  his 
situation,  partly  from  'the  defectiveness  of  his  instruc 
tion,  and,  doubtless,  in  no  small  degree,  from  the  stub 
born  blindness  and  wilful  ignorance  of  the  persons  he 
attempted  to  instruct,  succeeded  no  farther  than  Heriot 
had  formerly  done.  The  savages  extended  their  respect 
for  the  man  to  a  Being  whom  they  termed  "  the  God 
of  Captain  Smith,"  and  some  of  them  acknowledged 
that  this  Being  excelled  their  own  deities  in  the  same 
proportion  that  artillery  excelled  bows  and  arrows,  and 
sent  to  James-Town  to  entreat  that  Smith  would  pray 
for  rain  when  their  idols  seemed  to  refuse  a  supply. 
While  the  affairs  of  the  colony  were  thus  prosperous 


100  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

under  the  direction  of  Captain  Smith,  a  reinforcement 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty  men)  with  an  abundant  stock 
of  provisions,  and  a  supply  of  seeds  and  instruments  of 
husbandry,  arrived  in  two  vessels  from  England.  Uni 
versal  joy  was  excited  among  the  colonists  by  this 
accession  to  their  comforts  and  their  force. 

Of  the  recruits  which  were  thus  furnished  to  the 
colony,  a  large  proportion  were  gentlemen  jewellers 
and  refiners  of  gold.  Some  of  the  latter  fancied  they 
had  discovered  gold  dust  in  a  small  stream  of  water 
near  James-Town ;  and  instantly  the  whole  attention  of 
the  colonists  was  directed  to  the  collection  of  this  ma 
terial,  of  which  a  large  quantity  was  shipped  to  Eng 
land,  and  found  to  be  worthless  dross. 

While  the  colonists  were  thus  occupied,  Captain 
Smith  explored  the  whole  coast  of  Chesapeake  bay, 
and  furnished  a  valuable  map  of  his  discoveries,  which 
has  formed  the  groundwork  of  all  subsequent  delinea 
tions.  On  his  return  he  was  chosen  president  of  the 
council ;  which  office  he  discharged  with  consummate 
ability. 

What  one  governor  afterwards  effected  in  this  re 
spect  by  the  weight  of  an  imposing  rank,  and  others  by 
the  strong  engine  of  martial  law,  Smith,  without  these 
advantages,  and  with  greater  success,  accomplished  by 
the  continual  application  of  his  own  vigour  and  activity. 
Some  plots  were  formed  against  him ;  but  these  he  de 
tected  and  defeated  without  either  straining  or  compro 
mising  his  authority.  The  caprice  and  suspicion  of  the 
Indians  assailed  him  with  numberless  trials  of  his  tem 
per  and  capacity.  Even  Powhatan,  notwithstanding 
the  friendly  ties  that  united  him  to  his  ancient  guest, 
was  induced,  by  the  treacherous  artifices  of  certain 
Dutchmen,  who  deserted  to  him  from  James-Town, 
first  to  form  a  secret  conspiracy,  and  then  to  excite 
and  prepare  open  hostility  against  the  colonists.  Some 
of  the  fraudful  designs  of  the  royal  savage  were  re 
vealed  by  the  unabated  kindness  o'f  Pocahontas,  others 
were  detected  by  Captain  Smith,  and  from  them  all  he 
contrived  to  extricate  the  colony  with  honour  and  sue- 


SMITH  RETURNS  TO  ENGLAND.  101 

cess,  and  yet  with  little,  and  only  defensive,  bloodshed , 
displaying*  to  the  Indians  a  vigour  and  dexterity  they 
could  neither  overcome  nor  overreach — a  courage  that 
commanded  their  respect,  and  a  generosity  that  car 
ried  his  victory  into  their  minds,  and  reconciled  sub 
mission  with  their  pride.  In  thus  demonstrating  (to  use 
his  own  words)  "  what  small  cause  there  is  that  men 
should  starve  or  be  murdered  by  the  savages,  that  have 
discretion  to  manage  them  with  courage  and  industry," 
he  bequeathed  a  valuable  lesson  to  his  successors  in  the 
American  colonies,  and  to  all  succeeding  settlers  in  the 
vicinity  of  savage  tribes;  and  in  exemplifying  the 
power  of  a  superior  people  to  anticipate  the  cruel  and 
vulgar  issue  of  battle,  and  to  prevail  over  an  inferior 
race  without  either  extirpating  or  enslaving  them,  he 
obtained  a  victory  which  Cassar,  with  all  his  boasted 
superiority  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  was  too  ungenerous 
to  appreciate,  or  was  incompetent  to  achieve. 

But  Smith  was  not  permitted  to  complete  the  work 
he  had  so  honourably  begun.  A  wound  received  from 
an  explosion  of  gunpowder  compelled  his  return  to 
England. 

We  pass  over  the  events  immediately  subsequent  to 
his  departure,  which  took  place  in  October,  1609.  It. 
was  in  the  year  1613,  and  under  the  administration  of 
Sir  Thomas  Gates,  that  an  event  took  place  of  unusual 
interest  to  the  readers  of  Indian  history. 

The  colony  of  Virginia  had  once  been  saved,  in  the 
person  of  its  own  deliverer  Captain  Smith,  by  Poea- 
hontas,  the  daughter  of  the  Indian  king  Powhatan. 
She  had  ever  since  maintained  a  friendly  intercourse 
with  the  English,  and  she  was  destined  now  to  render 
them  a  service  of  the  highest  importance.  A  scarcity 
prevailing  at  James-Town,  and  supplies  being  obtained 
but  scantily  and  irregularly  from  the  neighbouring  In 
dians,  with  whom  the  colonists  were  often  embroiled, 
Captain  Argal  was  dispatched  to  the  Potomac  for  a 
cargo  of  corn.  Here  he  learned  that  Pocahontas  was 
living  in  retirement  at  no  great  distance  from  him: 
and  hoping,  by  possession  of  her  person,  to  obtain  such 


102  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

an  ascendant  over  Powhatan  as  would  enforce  an  am 
pie  contribution  of  provisions,  he  prevailed  on  her,  by 
some  artifice,  to  come  on  board  his  vessel,  and  then  set 
sail  with  her  to  James-Town,  where  she  was  detained 
in  a  state  of  honourable  captivity.  But  Powhatan, 
more  indignant  at  such  treachery  than  overcome  by  his 
misfortune,  rejected  with  scorn  the  demand  of  a  ran 
som  ;  he  even  refused  to  hold  any  communication  with 
the  robbers  who  still  kept  his  daughter  a  prisoner,  but 
declared  that  if  she  were  restored  to  him  he  would  for 
get  the  injury,  and,  feeling  himself  at  liberty  to  regard 
them  as  friends,  would  gratify  all  their  wishes.  But 
the  colonists  were  too  conscious  of  not  deserving  the 
performance  of  such  promises,  to  be  able  to  give  credit 
to  them;  and  the  most  injurious  consequences  seemed 
likely  to  arise  from  the  unjust  detention,  which  they 
could  no  longer  continue  with  advantage  nor  relinquish 
with  safety,  when  all  at  once  the  aspect  of  affairs  un 
derwent  a  surprising  and  beneficial  change.  During 
her  residence  in  the  colony,  Pocahontas,  who  is  repre 
sented  as  a  woman  distinguished  by  her  personal 
attractions,  made  such  impression  on  Mr.  Rolfe,  a 
young  man  of  rank  and  estimation  among  the  settlers, 
that  he  offered  her  his  hand,  and,  with  her  approbation 
and  the  warm  encouragement  of  the  governor,  solicited 
the  consent  of  Powhatan  to  their  marriage :  this  the 
old  prince  readily  granted,  and  sent  some  of  his  rela 
tions  to  attend  the  ceremonial,  which  was  performed 
with  extraordinary  pomp,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
firm  and  sincere  friendship  between  his  tribe  and  the 
English.  This  happy  event  also  enabled  the  colonial 
government  to  conclude  a  treaty  with  the  Chiccahorni- 
nies,  a  brave  and  martial  tribe,  who  consented  to 
acknowledge  themselves  subjects  to  the  British  mon 
arch,  and  style  themselves  henceforward  Englishmen, 
to  assist  the  colonists  with  their  arms  in  war,  and  to 
pay  an  annual  tribute  of  Indian  corn. 

From  this  period  till  the  year  1622  no  considerable 
Indian  war  occurred  in  Virginia.  During  this  interval, 
Powhatan,  who  was,  on  the  whole,  rather  friendly  to 


STATE  OF  THE  COLONY.  103 

Che  colonists,  had  died  and  been  succeeded  in  his  in 
fluence  over  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  vicinity  by  Ope- 
chancanough,  who  was  the  implacable  but  secret 
enemy  of  the  English.  The  colony  had  been  steadily 
advancing  in  peace  and  prosperity,  and  the  people  had 
hrown  off  the  vigilance  so  necessary  to  their  preserva 
tion  among  powerful  and  hostile  tribes  of  savages 
They  thought  themselves  secure. 

But  a  cloud  had  been  for  some  time  gathering  over 
the  colony,  and  even  the  circumstances  that  most  forci 
bly  indicated  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  planters 
were  but  inviting  and  enabling  the  storm  to  burst  with 
more  destructive  violence  on  their  heads.  Externally 
at  peace  with  the  Indians,  unapprehensive  of  danger, 
and  wholly  engrossed  with  the  profitable  cultivation  of 
their  fertile  territory,  their  increasing  numbers  had 
spread  so  extensively  over  the  province,  that  no  less 
than  eighty  settlements  had  already  been  formed ;  and 
every  planter  being  guided  only  by  his  own  conve 
nience  or  caprice  in  the  choice  of  his  dwelling,  and 
more  disposed  to  shun  than  to  court  the  neighbourhood 
of  his  countrymen,  the  settlements  were  universally 
straggling  and  uncompact.  The  Scriptures,  which  the 
colonists  received  as  their  rule  of  faith,  bore  ample  tes 
timony  to  the  cruelty  and  treachery  of  mankind  in  their 
natural  state;  and  their  past  experience  might  have 
convinced  them  that  the  savages  by  whom  they  were 
surrounded  could  claim  no  exemption  from  this  testi 
mony  of  Divine  wisdom  and  truth.  Yet  the  pious 
labours  by  which  the  evil  dispositions  of  the  Indians 
might  have  been  overcome,  and  the  military  exercises 
and  precautions  by  which  their  hostility  might  have 
been  overawed  or  repelled,  were  equally  neglected  by 
the  colonists,  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  contributed 
to  fortify  the  martial  habits  of  the  Indians  by  employ 
ing  them  as  hunters,  and  enlarged  their  resources  of 
destruction  by  furnishing  them  with  fire-arms,  which 
they  quickly  learned  to  use  with  dexterity.  The  mar 
riage  of  Mr.  Rolfe  and  Pocahontas  had  not  produced 
as  lasting  a  good  understanding  between  the  English 


104  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

and  the  Indians  as  it  had  at  first  seemed  to  betoken 
The  Indians  eagerly  courted  a -repetition  of  such  inter 
marriages,  and  were  deeply  offended  with  the  pride 
with  which  the  English  receded  from  their  advances, 
and  declined  to  become  the  husbands  of  Indian  women. 
The  colonists  forgot  that  they  had  inflicted  this  mortifi 
cation;  but  it  was  remembered  by  the  Indians,  who 
never  forgave  an  affront.  Numberless  earnest  recom 
mendations  had  been  transmitted  from  England  to 
attempt  the  conversion  of  the  savages ;  but  these 
recommendations  had  not  been  enforced  by  a  sufficient 
attention  to  the  means  requisite  for  their  execution. 
Yet  they  were  not  wholly  neglected  by  the  colonists. 
Some  attempts  at  conversion  were  made  by  a  few 
pious  individuals,  and  the  success  of  one  of  them  un 
doubtedly  mitigated  the  dreadful  calamity  that  was 
impending ;  but  these  efforts  were  feeble  and  partial, 
and  the  majority  of  the  colonists  had  contented  them 
selves  with  cultivating  a  friendly  intercourse  and  inti 
mate  acquaintance  with  the  Indians,  who  were  admitted 
'  at  all  times  into  their  habitations,  and  encouraged  to 
consider  themselves  as  familiar  guests.  It  was  in  the 
midst  of  this  free  and  unguarded  intercourse  that  the 
Indians  formed,  with  cold  and  unrelenting  deliberation, 
the  plan  for  a  general  massacre  of  the  English,  which 
should  involve  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the 
colony  in  indiscriminate  slaughter.  The  death  of  Pow- 
hatan,  in  1618,  devolved  the  power  of  executing  a 
scheme  so  detestable  in  the  hands  of  a  man  fully  capa 
ble  of  contriving  and  maturing  it.  Opechancanough, 
who  succeeded,  not  only  to  the  supremacy  over  Pow- 
hatan's  tribe,  but  to  his  influence  over  all  the  neigh 
bouring  tribes  of  Indians,  was  distinguished  by  his 
fearless  courage,  his  profound  dissimulation,  and  a  ran 
corous  hatred  and  jealousy  of  the  new  inhabitants  of 
America.  He  renewed  the  pacific  treaty  which  Pow- 
hatan  had  made,  and  faithfully  kept,  with  the  English 
after  the  marriage  of  Pocahontas  to  Mr.  Rolfe ;  and  he 
availed  himself  of  the  tranquillity  it  produced  to  pre 
pare,  during  the  four  ensuing  years,  his  friends  and 


CONSPIRACY  AGAINST  THE  ENGLISH.  105 

followers  for  the  several  parts  they  were  to  act  in  the 
tragedy  he  projected.  The  tribes  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  English,  except  those  on  the  eastern  shore,  whom, 
on  account  of  their  peculiar  friendship  for  the  colonists, 
he  did  not  venture  to  intrust  with  the  plan,  were  suc 
cessively  gained  over;  and  all  co-operated  with  that 
single-mindedness  and  intensity  of  purpose  characteris 
tic  of  a  project  of  Indian  revenge.  Notwithstanding 
the  long  interval  that  elapsed  between  the  formation 
and  the  execution  of  their  present  enterprise,  and  the 
perpetual  intercourse  that  subsisted  between  them  and 
the  white  people,  the  most  impenetrable  secresy  was 
preserved ;  and  so  consummate  and  fearless  was  their 
dissimulation,  that  they  were  accustomed  to  borrow 
boats  from  the  English  to  cross  the  river,  in  order  to 
concert  and  communicate  the  progress  of  their  design. 
An  incident,  which,  though  minute,  is  too  curious  to 
be  omitted,  contributed  to  sharpen  the  ferocity  of  the 
Indians  by  the  sense  of  recent  provocation.  There 
was  a  man,  belonging  to  one  of  the  neighbouring  tribes, 
named  Nemattanow,  who,  by  his  courage,  craft,  and 
good  fortune,  had  attained  the  highest  repute  among  his 
countrymen.  In  the  skirmishes  and  engagements  which 
their  former  wars  with  the  English  produced,  he  had 
exposed  his  person  with  a  bravery  that  commanded 
then*  esteem,  and  an  impunity  that  excited  their  aston 
ishment.  They  judged  him  invulnerable,  whom  so 
many  wounds  seemed  to  have  approached  in  vain;  and 
the  object  of  their  admiration  partook,  or  at  least  en 
couraged,  the  delusion  which  seemed  to  invest  him 
with  a  character  of  sanctity.  Opechancanough,  the 
king,  whether  jealous  of  this  man's  reputation,  or  de 
sirous  of  embroiling  the  English  with  the  Indians,  sent 
a  message  to  the  governor  of  the  colony,  to  acquaint 
him  that  he  was  welcome  to  cut  Nemattanow's  throat. 
Such  a  representation  of  Indian  character  as  this  mes 
sage  conveyed,  one  would  think,  ought  to  have  excited 
the  strongest  suspicion  and  distrust  in  the  minds  of  the 
English.  Though  the  offer  of  the  king  was  disregarded, 
his  wishes  were  not  disappointed.  Nemattanow,  having 
10 


106  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

murdered  a  planter,  was  shot  by  one  of  his  servants  in 
an  attempt  to  apprehend  him.  Finding  the  pangs  of 
death  coming  strong  upon  him,  the  pride,  but  not  the 
vanity,  of  the  savage  was  subdued,  and  he  entreated 
his  captors  to  grant  his  two  last  requests,  one  of  which 
was  that  they  would  never  reveal  that  he  had  been 
slain  by  a  bullet,  and  the  other,  that  they  would  bury 
him  among  the  English,  that  the  secret  of  his  mortality 
might  never  be  known  to  his  countrymen.  The  request 
seems  to  infer  the  possibility  of  its  being  complied  with, 
and  the  disclosure  of  the  fatal  event  was  no  less  impru 
dent  than  disadvantageous.  The  Indians  were  filled  with 
grief  and  indignation;  and  Opechancanough  inflamed 
their  anger  by  pretending  to  share  it.  Having  coun 
terfeited  displeasure  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  subjects, 
he  proceeded  with  equal  success  to  counterfeit  placa 
bility  for  the  delusion  of  his  enemies,  and  assured  the 
English  that  the  sky  should  sooner  fall  than  the  peace 
be  broken  by  him.  But  the  plot  now  advanced  rapidly 
to  its  maturity,  and,  at  length,  the  day  was  fixed  on 
which  all  the  English  settlements  were  at  the  same 
instant  to  be  attacked.  The  respective  stations  of  the 
various  troops  of  assassins  were  assigned  to  them ;  and 
that  they  might  be  enabled  to  occupy  them  without  ex 
citing  suspicion,  some  carried  presents  of  fish  and  game 
into  the  interior  of  the  colony,  and  others  presented 
themselves  as  guests  soliciting  the  hospitality  of  their 
English  friends,  on  the  evening  before  the  massacre. 
As  the  fatal  hour  drew  nigh,  the  rest,  under  various 
pretences,  and  with  every  demonstration  of  kindness, 
assembled  around  the  detached  and  unguarded  settle 
ments  of  the  colonists ;  and  not  a  sentiment  of  com 
punction,  not  a  rash  expression  of  hate,  nor  an  un 
guarded  look  of  exultation,  had  occurred  to  disconcert 
or  disclose  the  designs  of  their  well-disciplined  ferocity. 
The  universal  destruction  of  the  colonists  seemed 
unavoidable,  and  was  prevented  only  by  the  conse 
quences  of  an  event  which  perhaps  appeared  but  of 
little  consequence  in  the  colony  at  the  time  when  it 
took  place — the  conversion  of  an  Indian  to  the  Chris- 


i 


• 


MASSACRE  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  107 

tian  faith.  On  the  night  before  the  massacre,  this  man 
was  made  privy  to  it  by  his  own  brother,  who  commu 
nicated  to  him  the  command  of  his  king  and  his  coun 
trymen  to  share  in  the  exploit  that  would  enrich  their 
race  with  spoil,  revenge  and  glory.  The  exhortation 
was  powerfully  calculated  to  impress  a  savage  mind ; 
but  a  new  mind  had  been  given  to  this  convert,  and  as 
soon  as  his  brother  left  him  he  revealed  the  alarming 
intelligence  to  an  English  gentleman  in  whose  house 
he  was  residing.  This  planter  immediately  carried  the 
tidings  to  James-Town,  from  whence  the  alarm  was 
communicated  to  the  nearest  settlers,  barely  in  time  to 
prevent  the  last  hour  of  the  perfidious  truce  from  being 
the  last  hour  of  their  lives. 

But  the  intelligence  came  too  late  to  be  more  gene 
rally  available.  At  midday,  the  moment  they  had 
previously  fixed  for  this  execrable  deed,  the  Indians, 
raising  a  universal  yell,  rushed  at  once  on  the  English 
in  all  their  scattered  settlements,  and  butchered  men, 
women  and  children  with  undistinguishing  fury,  and 
every  aggravation  of  brutal  outrage  and  enormous 
cruelty.  In  one  hour,  three  hundred  and  forty-seven 
persons  were  cut  off,  almost  without  knowing  by  whose 
vhands  they  fell.  The  slaughter  would  have  been  still 
greater  if  the  English,  even  in  some  of  those  districts 
where  the  warning  that  saved  others  did  not  reach, 
had  not  flown  to  their  arms  with  the  energy  of  despair, 
and  defended  themselves  so  bravely  as  to  repulse  the 
assailants,  who  almost  universally  displayed  a  cow 
ardice  proportioned  to  their  cruelty,  and  fled  at  the 
sight  of  arms  in  the  hands  even  of  the  women  and  boys, 
whom,  unarmed,  they  were  willing  to  attack  and  de 
stroy.  If  in  this  foul  and  revolting  exhibition  of  hu 
manity  some  circumstances  appear  to  be  referable  to 
the  peculiarities  of  savage  life  and  education,  we  shall 
greatly  err  if  we  overlook,  in  its  more  general  and  im 
portant  features,  the  testimony  it  has  given  to  the  deep 
depravity  of  fallen  nature.  More  than  one  example 
may  be  found  in  the  contemporary  history  of  Europe, 
which,  impartially  considered,  present,  not  only  a  bar- 


108  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

barous  people,  but  a  civilized  nation  and  am  accom 
plished  court,  as  the  rivals  of  these  American  savages 
in  perfidy,  fury  and  cruelty. 

The  colony  had  received  a  wound  no  less  deep  and 
dangerous,  than  painful  and  alarming.  Six  of  the 
members  of  council,  and  many  of  the  most  eminent 
and  respectable  inhabitants,  were  among  the  slain ;  at 
some  of  the  settlements  the  whole  of  their  population 
had  been  exterminated ;  at  others  a  remnant  had 
escaped  the  general  destruction  by  the  efforts  of  des 
pair;  «and  the  survivors  were  impoverished,  terrified, 
and  confounded  by  a  stroke  that  at  once  bereaved 
them  of  friends  and 'fortune,  and  showed  that  they  were 
surrounded  by  legions  of  enemies,  whose  existence  they 
had  never  dreamed  of,  and  whose  brutality  and  fero 
city  seemed  to  proclaim  them  a  race  of  fiends  rather 
than  men.  To  the  massacre  succeeded  a  vindictive 
and  exterminating  war  between  the  English  and  the 
Indians;  and  the  colonists  were  at  last  provoked  to 
retaliate,  in  some  degree,  on  their  savage  adversaries, 
the  evils  of  which  they  had  set  so  bloody  an  example, 
and  which  seemed  to  be  the  only  weapons  capable  of 
waging  effectual  war  upon  them.  Yet  though  a  dire 
ful  necessity  might  seem  to  justify  or  palliate  the  mea 
sures  which  it  taught  the  colonists  to  apprehend  and 
provide  for,  their  warfare  was  never  wholly  divested 
of  honour  and  magnanimity.  During  this  disastrous 
period,  the  design  for  erecting  a  colonial  college,  and 
many  other  public  institutions,  was  abandoned;  the 
number  of  the  settlements  was  reduced  from  eighty  to 
six;  and  the  affliction  of  scarcity  was  added  to  the 
horrors  of  war. 

The  hostility  of  Opechancanough  did  not  terminate 
with  the  massacre.  His  implacable  disposition  was 
manifested  late  in  1622,  by  his  instigating  Japazaws, 
king  of  the  Patawomekes,  to  murder  a  party  under 
Captain  Croshaw,  while  on  a  trading  expedition  in 
his  country. 

The  colonists,  however,  were  by  no  means  unsuc 
cessful  in  revenging  the  great  massacre  on  their  ene- 


FUKTHKK  INDIAN  HOSTILITIES.  109 

mies ;  and  it  is  affirmed  that  in  the  autumn  and  winter 
ot  1622-3,  more  Indians  were  slain  than  had  ever  be 
fore  fallen  by  the  hands  of  the  English  since  the  settle 
ment  of  James-Town. 

But  Opechancanough  was  still  able  to  make  a 
formidable  opposition  to  his  enemies,  and  at  a  battle 
which  took  place  at  his  own  village  of  Pamunkey,  in 
1625,  his  bowmen  numbered  eight  hundred,  inde 
pendently  of  detachments  furnished  from  distant  tribes. 
The  English  on  this  occasion  were  led  by  Governor 
Wyatt,  and  although  they  drove  the  enemy  from  the 
field,  they  were  unable  to  follow  them  up  to  their  head 
quarters  at  Matapony.  An  attempt  to  repeat  the 
treacherous  scheme  by  which  the  Indians  had  been 
defeated  in  1622  was  made  in  1628;  but  was  frustrated 
by  the  sagacity  of  Opechancanough ;  and  the  formal 
treaty  of  1632  was  little  better  than  a  hollow  and  de 
ceitful  truce. 

Opechancanough,  however,  was  by  no  means  back 
ward  in  taking  advantage  of  the  repose  afforded  by 
this  treaty.  For  the  long  period  which  elapsed  between 
its  conclusion  and  his  final  effort,  in  1644,  he  was  in 
dustriously  occupied  in  making  preparations  for  a 
renewal  of  hostilities.  An  opportunity  at  length  pre 
sented  itself  for  executing  his  long-cherished  pur 
pose.  The  colony  was  involved  in  intestine  dissen 
sions.  An  insurrection  had  taken  place  in  consequence 
of  the  unpopularity  of  the  governor,  and  at  a  moment 
when  the  people  were  occupied  with  internal  disorders 
and  heedless  of  danger  from  without,  their  great  enemy 
struck  a  powerful  and  almost  fatal  blow. 

He  was  now  advanced  to  extreme  old  age,  being 
supposed  to  have  numbered  nearly  a  hundred  years,  but 
the  powers  of  his  mind  were  still  so  vigorous,  that  he 
was  the  leading  spirit  of  a  confederacy  embracing  all 
the  Indian  tribes  distributed  over  a  space  of  country 
six  hundred  miles  in  extent.  Unable  to  walk,  he  was 
borne  in  a  litter  to  the  scene  of  action  (April  18th, 
1644,)  and  thus  led  his  warriors  to  the  attack.  Such 
was  the  skill  with  which  his  measures  had  been  con- 


110  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

certed  that  the  whole  force  of  the  Indians  commenced 
their  operations  upon  the  entire  line  of  the  frontier  at 
the  same  instant  of  time,  with  the  intention  of  carrying 
a  war  of  extermination  down  to  the  sea,  and  thus  anni 
hilating  the  colony  at  a  single  blow.  In  two  days,  five 
hundred  persons  had  fallen  in  the  massacre.  Of  course, 
every  operation  of  industry  was  instantly  abandoned, 
and  all  who  were  able  to  bear  arms  were  embodied  to 
oppose  so  terrible  an  invasion.  Governor  Berkeley,  at 
the  head  of  a  chosen  force,  consisting  of  every  twen 
tieth  man  in  the  colony,  marched  into  the  enemy's 
country,  and  thus  gave  him  the  first  check.  Of  the 
details  of  the  campaign,  in  consequence  of  the  confu 
sion  and  distress  prevailing  at  the  time,  no  details  are 
furnished  by  the  contemporary  historians.  Beverly's 
account,  the  only  one  which  survived  the  ravages  of 
the  time,  is  meagre  and  unsatisfactory.  One  result  of 
the  war,  however,  is  sufficiently  well  attested,  since  it 
terminated  the  horrors  of  the  season.  This  was  the 
capture  of  the  aged  Opechancanough,  who  was  sur 
prised  and  taken  prisoner  by  a  squadron  of  horse  under 
the  command  of  Governor  Berkeley,  who  forthwith 
conducted  him  in  triumph  to  James-Town. 

It  was  the  governor's  intention  to  have  sent  this 
remarkable  person  to  England ;  but  he  was  shot  after 
being  taken  prisoner,  by  a  soldier,  in  resentment  of  the 
calamities  he  had  inflicted  on  the  province.  He  lin 
gered  under  the  wound  for  several  days,  and  died  with 
the  pride  and  firmness  of  an  old  Roman.  Indignant  .'it 
the  crowds  who  came  to  gaze  at  him  on  his  death-bed, 
he  exclaimed:  "If  I  had  taken  Sir  William  Berkeley 
prisoner,  I  would  not  have  exposed  him  as  a  show  to 
the  people."  Perhaps  he  remembered  that  he  had 
saved  the  life  of  Captain  Smith,  and  forgot  the  number 
less  instances  in  which  he  had  exposed  other  prisoners 
to  public  derision  and  lingering  torture. 

After  the  decease  of  their  great  enemy,  the  colonists 
had  no  difficulty  in  concluding  a  treaty  with  the  In 
dians,  which  gave  tranquillity  to  the  province  for  a  long 
term  of  years 


OPECHANCANOUGH  REPROVING  COLONEL  BERKELEY.  Page  110. 


CHAPTER   III. 


EARLY  INDIAN  RELATIONS  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 


T  was  on  the  eighth  of 
December,  1620,  that  the 
first  act  of  hostility  on 
the  part  of  the  Indians 
towards  the  Pilgrim  Fa 
thers  of  New  England 
took  place.  A  party  of 
eighteen  men  from  the 
May-Flower,  under  the 
command  of  Governor 
Carver,  were  exploring 
the  coast,  in  order  to  find  a  suitable  place  for  forming 
a  settlement,  when  a  party  who  had  landed  were  sud 
denly  surprised  with  the  shrill  war-cry  of  the  natives, 
and  a  flight  of  arrows.  They  immediately  seized  their 
arms,  and  returned  this  rough  salutation  with  a  volley 
of  musketry,  which  instantly  put  their  enemies  to  flight. 
On  the  eleventh  of  the  same  month,  the  Pilgrims  went 
on  shore  upon  the  main  land,  at  the  place  which  they 
called  Plymouth. 

As  they  advanced  into  the  country,  they  found  corn 
fields,  and  brooks,  and  an  excellent  situation  for  build 
ing.  "  On  the  morning  of  the  20th,"  says  the  venerable 
Dr.  Holmes,  "  after  imploring  divine  guidance,  they 
went  on  shore  again,  to  fix  on  some  place  for  imme 
diate  settlement.  After  viewing  the  country,  they  con- 
duded  to  settle  on  a  high  ground  facing  the  bay,  where 
the  land  was  cleared,  and  the  water  was  excellent.' 

This  day,  consecrated  by  the  religious  act  abovemen- 

(in) 


112  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

tioned,  is  the  one  which  their  descendants  still  celebrate 
as  the  day  of  their  landing. 

Before  the  end  of  the  month,  they  had  erected  a 
store-house  for  their  goods.  Two  rows  of  houses  were 
begun,  and  as  fast  as  they- could  be  completed,  the  peo 
ple,  who  were  classed  into  nineteen  families,  came 
ashore  and  lodged  in  them.  The  hardships  to  which 
they  were  exposed,  and  the  severity  of  the  climate, 
caused  so  great  a  mortality,  that  before  the  next  April 
nearly  half  of  their  number  had  died.  None  of  the  na 
tives  came  among  them  until  the  sickness  had  abated. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1621,  a  savage  came  boldly 
into  the  town  alone,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
emigrants,  addressed  them  in  these  words,  "  Welcome, 
Englishmen !  Welcome,  Englishmen !"  His  name  was 
Samoset,  and  he  was  a  sagamore  of  a  tribe  of  Indians 
distant  five  days'  journey  to  the  eastward.  He  had 
learned  a  few  words  of  English  from  the  fishermen 
who  had  frequented  the  shores  of  his  country.  By  him 
the  governor  was  informed  that  the  place  where  they 
now  were,  was  called  Patuxet,  and,  though  it  was  for 
merly  populous,  that  every  human  being  had  died  of 
that  pestilence  which  is  known  to  have  swept  through 
all  the  Indian  tribes  of  New  England,  but  a  short  time 
previous  to  the  settlement  of  the  country  by  the  Eng 
lish.  His  account  was  confirmed  by  the  extent  of  the 
deserted  fields,  the  number  of  graves,  and  the  remnant 
of  skeletons  scattered  on  the  ground.  Being  dismissed 
with  a  present,  he  returned  the  next  day  with  five  In 
dians,  who  brought  a  few  skins  for  trade.  On  a  third 
visit,  Samoset  was  accompanied  by  Squanto,  one  of  the 
natives  who  had  been  kidnapped  by  Hunt  in  1614  and 
afterwards  lived  in  England.  They  gave  the  informa 
tion  that  the  great  sachem  Massasoit  was  in  the  neigh 
bourhood,  with  his  brother  and  a  number  of  his  people. 
This  chief  was  a  sort  of  emperor  among  the  surround 
ing  tribes,  and  commanded  the  homage  of  all  the  sa 
chems  in  his  vicinity.  Within  an  hour,  he  appeared  on 
the  top  of  a  hill,  over  against  the  English  town,  with 
sixty  men. 


11 


THE  TEE  ATT  WITH  MASSASOIT. 


TREATY  WITH  THE  INDIANS.  113 

"Mutual  distrust,"  says  Dr.  Holmes,  in  his  account 
of  this  important  and  interesting  meeting,  "  prevented 
for  some  time  any  advances  on  either  side.  Squanto, 
at  length,  being  sent  to  Massassoit,  brought  back  word, 
that  the  English  should  send  one  of  their  number  to 
parley  with  him.  Mr.  Edward  Winslow  was  accord 
ingly  sent.  Two  knives,  and  a  copper  chain,  with  a 
jewel  in  it,  were  sent  to  Massasoit  at  the  same  time  ; 
and  to  his  brother,  a  knife,  and  a  jewel,  "  with  a  pot  of 
strong  water,"  a  quantity  of  biscuit,  and  some  butter, 
all  which  articles  were  gladly  accepted.  Mr.  Winslow, 
the  messenger,  in  a  speech  to  Massasoit,  signified,  that 
King  James  saluted  him  with  words  of  love  and  peace, 
and  that  the  English  governor  desired  to  see  him,  and 
to  truck  with  him,  and  to  confirm  a  peace  with  him,  as 
his  next  neighbour.  The  Indian  king  heard  his  speech 
with  attention  and  approbation.  After  partaking  of  the 
provision  which  made  part  of  the  English  present,  and 
imparting  the  rest  to  his  company,  he  looked  on  Mr 
Winslow's  sword  and  armour  with  an  intimation  of  his 
desire  to  buy  it ;  but  found  him  unwilling  to  part  with 
it.  At  the  close  of  the  interview,  Massasoit,  leaving 
Mr.  Winslow  in  the  custody  of  his  brother,  went  over 
the  brook,  which  separated  him  from  the  English,  with 
a  train  of  twenty  men,  whose  bows  and  arrows  were 
left  behind.  He  was  met  at  the  brook  by  Captain 
Standish  and  Mr.  Williamson,  with  six  musketeers,  who 
conducted  him  to  a  house  then  in  building,  where  were 
placed  a  green  rug  and  three  or  four  cushions.  The 
governor  now  advanced,  attended  with  a  drum  and 
trumpet,  and  a  few  musketeers.  After  mutual  saluta 
tions,  the  governor  called  for  refreshments,  of  which 
the  Indian  king  partook  himself,  and  imparted  to  his 
followers.  A  league  of  friendship  was  then  agreed  o;i; 
and  it  was  inviolably  observed  above  fifty  years." 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  administration  of  Governor 
Bradford,  who,  soon  after  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty, 
succeeded  Carver,  was  to  send  an  embassy  to  Massa 
soit,  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  the  league  with  the 
Indian  sachem ;  of  procuring  seed-corn  for  the  nex* 

H 


114  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

planting  season ;  and  of  exploring  the  country.  The 
friendship  of  the  powerful  Massasoit,  thus  secured,  was 
the  most  fortunate  circumstance  in  the  early  history  of 
New  England.  It  was  his  influence  alone  which  re 
strained  the  hostility  of  all  the  surrounding  tribes,  who 
are  well  known  to  have  been  fully  aware  of  the  danger 
to  which  the  invasion  of  the  English  exposed  them; 
and  who  were  always  ready  to  enter  into  any  measures 
which  promised  their  complete  extirpation.  This  fact 
was  sufficiently  apparent,  when  his  friendly  disposition, 
together  with  the  intercession  of  Roger  Williams,  pre 
vented  a  general  union  of  the  other  tribes  with  the 
Pequods  in  1637 ;  and  still  more  when  his  death  had 
given  the  inheritance  of  his  power  and  influence  to  his 
son  Philip,  who  was  thus  enabled  to  organize  and  con 
duct  the  first  general  Indian  war  of  New  England  in 
1675-6. 

After  the  league  with  Massasoit  was  concluded, 
Corbitant,  one  of  his  subordinate  sachems,  displayed 
signs  of  hostility,  and  attempted  to  organize  a  rebellion 
against  his  sovereign.  His  machinations  were,  how 
ever,  promptly  disconcerted  by  a  hostile  visit  from  the 
renowned  Captain  Miles  Standish,  with  a  small  party 
of  soldiers.  The  decision  evinced  on  this  occasion, 
and  the  example  of  Massasoit,  speedily  brought  in  nine 
more  sachems,  who  came  to  Plymouth  and  signed  an 
instrument  of  submission  to  King  James.  Other  sachems 
afterwards  made  a  similar  submission ;  among  whom 
were  those  of  Paomet,  Nauset,  Cummaquid,  and  Nama- 
shet,  with  several  others  about  the  bays  of  Patuxet  and 
Massachusetts. 

In  1622,  when  the  Plymouth  settlers  were  distressed 
by  famine,  in  consequence  of  the  arrival  of  new  emi 
grants,  without  a  sufficient  stock  of  provision,  Canoni- 
cus,  the  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts,  deeming  it  a 
favourable  opportunity  to  rid  the  country  of  these  un 
welcome  intruders,  declared  his  hostility.  He  sent 
them  a  characteristic  challenge,  which  was  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  bundle  of  arrows  tied  together 
with  a  snake-skin.  The  governor  sent  an  answer  that 


INDIANS.  READY  TO   SURPRISE  A  TRAVELLER.  Page  114 


(116) 


1JNDIAN  PLOT.  in 

if  they  chose  war  rather  than  peace,  they  might  begin 
when  they  would,  the  English  were  ready.  By  a  dif 
ferent  messenger,  and  as  a  more  appropriate  answer  to 
the  challenge,  the  snake-skin  was  returned,  well  filled 
with  powder  and  bullets.  (See  Engraving,  on  the  oppo 
site  page.)  This  portentous  token  the  Indians  refused 
to  receive;  they  were  even  afraid  to  let  it  remain  in 
their  houses ;  and,  in  their  superstition,  doubtless  consi 
dering  it  some  'great  medicine,''  they  caused  it  to  be 
brought  back  to  Plymouth.  It  put  an  end,  however,  to 
the  blustering  of  Canonicus ;  but  his  being  thus  intimi 
dated  did  not  prevent  the  English  from  erecting  such 
fortifications  about  their  town  as  sufficiently  secured 
them  from  being  surprised  by  their  savage  neighbours. 

Intelligence  being  received  at  Plymouth,  in  1623,  that 
Massasoit  was  sick  and  likely  to  die,  the  governor  sent 
Edward  Winslow  and  John  Hampden,  with  Hobo- 
mack,  a  friendly  Indian,  to  visit  him.  It  was  the  good 
fortune  of  Mr.  Winslow,  by  means  of  certain  cordials 
which  he  carried  with  him,  to  restore  this  illustrious 
friend  of  the  English  to  health ;  and  through  Hobomack, 
he  received  from  the  sachem  information  of  a  plot 
of  the  Massachusetts  tribe  against  certain  English 
settled  at  Wessagusset,  under  Mr.  Weston ;  and  more 
over  that  the  Indians  of  Paomet,  Nauset,  Mattachiest, 
the  Isle  of  Capawick,  Manomet  and  Agawaywom  were 
joined  in  the  conspiracy;  and  the  great  sachem  advised 
a  decided  hostile  movement  against  the  conspirators. 

This  intelligence  being  confirmed,  Captain  Standish 
was  ordered  to  take  with  him  as  many  men  as  he 
thought  sufficient,  and  fall  upon  the  conspirators.  The 
redoubted  captain  deemed  eight  chosen  followers  an 
ample  detachment;  and,  with  this  small  number,  he  ac- 
cordingly  made  a  visit  to  the  Massachusetts,  where, 
after  being  insulted  and  threatened  by  the  Indians,  he 
succeeded  in  decoying  four  of  them,  Wittawamet,  Peek- 
suot,  another  Indian,  and  a  youth  of  18,  into  a  room 
with  a  part  of  his  own  men,  where  he  and .  his  party 
killed  them  all;  and  being  subsequently  seconded  by 
Weston's  men,  they  killed  several  more  Indians,  and 


U8  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

after  a  skirmish,  put  their  main  body  to  flight.  This 
decided  measure  broke  up  the  conspiracy ;  and  the 
other  Indians,  who  had  intended  to  join  it,  fled  to 
swamps  and  desert  places,  where  they  contracted  dis 
eases  which  carried  ofF  many  of  them ;  among  whom 
were  Canacdm,  sachem  of  Manomet ;  Aspinet,  sachem 
of  Nauset;  and  lanough,  sachem  of  Matachiest.  The 
settlement  at  Wessagusset  was,  nevertheless,  abandoned 
by  the  English. 

No  incident  of  particular  interest  in  relation  to  the 
Indians  of  New  England,  took  place  subsequently  to 
this,  until  the  Pequod  war  of  1637,  of  which  we  shall 
give  an  account  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   IV. 
THE    PEQUOD    WAR, 

HE  Pequods  were  inha 
bitants  of  that  portion  of 
New  England  which  is 
now  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  state  of  Con 
necticut.  This  was  not 
their  original  abode,  for 
they  came  from  the  inte 
rior  of  the  country,  con 
quered  the  tribes  who  re 
sided  in  this  region,  and 
took  possession  of  their  lands.  At  the  period  in  which 
the  English  arrived,  they  were  the  most  powerful  tribe 
in  the  neighbourhood,  being  able  to  muster  four  thou 
sand  warriors.  The  Narragansetts  were  the  only  tribe 
who  were  able  to  oppose  them,  and  between  the  two  a 
deadly  feud  existed. 


TREATY  WITH  THE  PEQUODS.         119 

Sassacus  was  the  first  great  sachem  of  the  Pequods 
personally  known  to  the  English.  His  principal  for 
tress  was  on  an  eminence  in  the  town  of  Groton.  He, 
as  well  as  his  tribe,  were,  from  the  first  landing  of  the 
English,  of  a  hostile  disposition  towards  them.  He  con 
sidered  them  as  intruders  invading  his  country  without 
asking  his  permission ;  building  forts  and  villages  in  it 
without  consulting  him ;  and  he  therefore  determined 
to  take  every  measure  to  get  rid  of  them. 

We  do  not  know  clearly  which  party  it  was  that 
gave  the  first  provocation.  It  is  related  that  Captain 
Stone,  while  on  a  voyage  to  Virginia,  in  1633,  put  into 
the  Connecticut  river,  where  he  as  well  as  his  crew 
were  massacred  by  the  Indians.  According  to  the  Eng 
lish  accounts,  a  few  of  the  men  went  on  shore  to  shoot 
some  fowl,  and  were  there  murdered.  A  sachem,  with 
a  part  of  his  tribe,  then  came  on  board  the  vessel  and 
staid  till  the  captain  had  retired  to  rest.  The  sachem 
then  dispatched  Stone,  while  the  Indians  discharged 
such  guns  as  they  found  loaded,  at  the  men  who  were 
then  in  the  cook's  room.  At  this  moment,  the  vessel 
was  blown  up  by  the  powder  which  was  on  board  of  it 
taking  fire.  Most  of  the  Indians  escaped,  and  they  be 
gan  to  murder  those  of  the  crew  who  had  not  been 
destroyed,  so  that  not  one  of  them  was  left. 

This  is  the  English  account  of  the  transaction ;  but 
the  Indians  tell  quite  a  different  story.  They  assert  that 
Captain  Stone  had  taken  two  of  their  men  by  force,  to 
pilot  the  vessel  up  the  river.  The  captain  and  some  of 
his  men  then  went  on  shore,  taking  with  them  the  two 
Indians,  and  were  there  killed.  The  vessel  was  then 
blown  up,  killing  the  remainder  of  the  crew :  but  they 
knew  not  how  this  took  place. 

A  treaty  was  soon  afterwards  concluded  between 
the  Pequods  and  English.  The  principal  terms  were  as 
follows :  That  the  English  should  have  as  much  land  in 
Connecticut  as  they  wanted ;  that  the  Pequods  should 
give  the  English  four  hundred  fathoms  of  wampum; 
that  the  English  should  send  a  vessel  immediately  to 
trade  with  them  as  friends,  though  not  to  protect  them. 


120  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  principal  object  of  Sassacus  in  making  this 
treaty,  was  that  he  might  have  their  commerce  in 
peace.  He  had  quarrelled  with  the  Dutch  of  New 
York,  and  thereby  lost  their  custom  and  incurred  their 
hostility. 

The  Pequods  were  as  usual  at  war  with  the  Narra- 
gansetts.  As  the  Indians  who  had  just  completed  the 
above  treaty  were  on  the  eve  of  departure,  news  was 
brought  that  a  party  of  Narragansetts  was  about  to 
waylay  and  murder  them.  This  party  was,  however, 
by  means  of  presents  and  promises,  persuaded  by  the 
English  to  depart  quietly  to  their  homes. 

Matters  continued  in  this  condition  till  1636.  In  this 
year,  John  Oldham,  an  Englishman,  who  had  been 
trading  in  Connecticut,  was  murdered  in  his  boat,  near 
Block  Island,  by  a  party  of  Indians  belonging  to  that 
place.  Several  of  these  Indians  took  refuge  among  the 
Pequods,  and  as  the  latter  refused  to  give  them  up, 
they  were  considered  as  abettors  of  the  crime.  The 
governor  of  Massachusetts  therefore  sent  Captain  John 
Endicott  against  them,  with  a  force  of  ninety  men.  He 
was  ordered  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace  with  them,  pro 
vided  they  would  deliver  up  the  murderers ;  and  if  they 
refused,  he  was  to  declare  war. 

On  the  arrival  of  Endicott  and  his  party  in  the  Pe- 
quod  country,  the  Indians  retreated  into  a  swamp, 
where  it  was  difficult  to  come  at  them.  Only  two  of 
them  were  killed ;  but  the  English  burnt  their  wigwams. 
About  the  same  time  it  was  determined  to  conclude  a 
treaty  with  the  Narragansetts,  to  prevent  their  joining 
the  Pequods.  A  treaty  was  accordingly  concluded, 
and  the  English  thus  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  ally 
which  could  bring  five  thousand  fighting  men  into  the 
field. 

The  Indians  were  emboldened  by  Endicotfs  unsuc 
cessful  expedition.  They  killed  several  men  and  WTO- 
men,  and  about  twenty  cows.  The  colony  therefore 
determined  to  take  measures  to  put  a  stop  to  their  pro 
ceedings.  Accordingly,  at  the  general  court  held  at 
Hartford,  it  was  decided  that  a  force  of  ninety  men 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  PEQUODS  121 

should  be  immediately  raised  in  Hartford,  Windsor,  and 
Wethersfield ;  and  the  other  New  England  colonies 
agreed  to  send  as  many  men  as  they  could  raise. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  May,  a  force  from 
Connecticut,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  John  Mason,  con 
sisting  of  ninety  Englishmen,  and  about  seventy  Mohe- 
gan  Indians  under  the  command  of  Uncas,  their  sa 
chem,  departed  for  the  country  of  the  Pequods.  When 
they  arrived  at  Saybrook,  Mason  resolved  to  send  back 
a  part  of  his  men  to  reinforce  the  settlements  on  the 
Connecticut.  He  was  soon  afterwards  joined  by  a 
great  number  of  Indians,  so  that  when  he  again  set  out 
he  had  under  his  command  seventy-seven  Englishmen 
and  about  five  hundred  Indians. 

Mason  and  his  party  arrived  in  sight  of  the  Pequod 
fort  about  sunset.  When  the  Narragansetts  learned 
that  he  meant  to  attack  the  enemy  in  their  fortifications, 
a  great  many  of  them  retired,  and  the  English  com 
mander  could  hardly  persuade  the  remainder  of  them 
to  form  themselves  into  a  semicircle  at  some  distance 
from  the  fort,  in  order  to  waylay  such  of  the  Pequods 
as  might  escape  the  hands  of  the  English. 

It  was  nearly  daybreak  when  Mason  commenced 
his  attack  upon  the  fort.  As  he  drew  nigh  to  it,  a  dog 
barked,  and  an  Indian  sprang  up  and  exclaimed  that 
the  Englishmen  were  coming.  Had  it  not  been  for  this 
occurrence,  the  fort  would  have  been  taken  by  surprise. 
As  it  was,  they  made  a  vigorous  resistance,  and  Mason 
was  finally  obliged  to  set  fire  to  the  fort.  The  Pequods 
then  attempted  to  escape,  but  were  nearly  all  killed.  It 
is  said  that  between  five  and  six  hundred  of  them  per 
ished  in  this  engagement.  The  English  loss  was  two 
men  killed  and  sixteen  wounded. 

Sassacus,  who  was  in  the  other  fort,  on  hearing  of 
this  battle,  sent  a  force  of  three  hundred  men  against 
Mason.  He  was  soon  met  by  them ;  but  the  English 
gave  them  such  a  check  that  they  retired  to  the  top  of 
the  hill  on  which  the  fort  had  stood.  On  perceiving  its 
ruins  they  were  so  greatly  enraged,  that,  regardless  of 
consequences,  they  rushed  down  the  hill  and  pursued 
12 


122  INDIAN  WARS  OF  TtlE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  English  for  about  six  miles.  They,  however, 
reached  their  vessels  in  safety  and  returned  to  Hart 
ford 

The  three  hundred  Pequods  who  had  pursued  the 
English  returned  to  Sassacus.  On  deliberation,  it  was 
thought  that  they  could  no  longer  remain  in  safety  in 
the  country.  They  accordingly  dispersed,  and  Sassa 
cus,  with  a  party  of  his  warriors,  after  having  de 
stroyed  the  village,  proceeded  towards  the  Hudson 
river. 

The  governor  of  Massachusetts,  on  hearing  of  the 
success  of  Mason,  resolved  to  send  an  expedition  to 
destroy  all  the  straggling  parties  which  might  remain 
in  the  neighbourhood.  A  great  battle  was  fought  at  a 
swamp  in  Fairfield,  between  this  party  arid  a  nume 
rous  body  of  Indians  whom  they  met  there,  in  which 
a  great  number  of  the  savages  were  killed  and  wounded 
and  two  hundred  taken  prisoners. 

Sassacus  was  not,  however,  destined  to  be  destroyed 
by  the  English.  A  Pequod,  whose  liberty  had  been 
granted  him  on  condition  of  finding  and  betraying  him, 
finally  succeeded  in  his  search.  He  met  him,  but  his 
courage  failed  and  Sassacus  escaped. 

He  now  took  refuge  among  the  Mohawks.  But  these 
Indians,  instead  of  protecting  him,  put  him  to  death. 
His  head  was  cut  off'  and  sent  to  Connecticut,  and  the 
country  now  became  a  province  of  the  English. 


CHAPTER  V 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 


JJRING  the  reign  of  Mas- 
sasoit,  the  friendly  rela 
tions  between  the  people 
of  New  England  and  the 
tribes  under  his  influence, 
remained  for  the  most 
part  undisturbed.  The 
precise  time  of  his  de 
cease  is  not  known;  but 
it  is  supposed  by  Hubbard 
that  his  death  took  place 
in  1656.*  He  was  succeeded  in  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Wampanoags  by  his  eldest  son,  Moanam,  or  Wamsutta, 
called  by  the  English,  Alexander,  a  name  which  he  re 
ceived  in  open  court  at  Plymouth,  at  the  same  time  that 
the  name  of  Philip  was  conferred  on  his  younger  bro 
ther.  This  ceremony  was  performed  at  the  request  of 
the  young  men,  during  the  life-time  of  their  father,  in 
token  of  their  desire  to  preserve  a  good  understanding 
with  the  English. 

The  reign  of  Alexander  was  marked  by  no  act  of 
hostility  towards  his  white  neighbours,  nor  any  misun 
derstanding,  until  the  circumstances  took  place  which 
terminated  the  young  sachem's  life.  The  flagrant  vio 
lation  of  justice  and  international  law,  by  the  English, 
involved  in  this  transaction,  has  doubtless  been  the  oc 
casion  of  the  hasty  and  unsatisfactory  manner  in  which 

*  Drake  dates  it  1660. 

(123) 


124  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

it  has  been  passed  over  by  the  historians  of  the  time. 
Enough  is  known,  however,  to  assign  its  true  character 
to  the  act  of  the  Plymouth  government. 

It  appears  that  the  governor  and  council  were  in 
formed  that  Alexander  had  solicited  the  Narragansetts 
to  join  him  in  a  war  against  the  whites ;  and  upon  good 
proof  thereof,  as  they  said,  ordered  him  to  appear  be 
fore  them.  Upon  his  not  instantly  complying  with  their 
summons,  Mr.  Winslow  was  dispatched  with  an  armed 
force  of  eight  or  ten  stout  men  to  bring  him  (July  1662). 
Meeting  him  at  a  wigwam,  a  few  miles  from  his  resi 
dence,  Sowams,*  with  a  body  of  his  followers,  Winslow 
surprised  the  party,  seized  their  arms,  and  summoned 
the  sachem  to  attend  him  to  Plymouth;  at  the  same 
time  threatening  him  with  a  pistol  at  his  throat "  that  if 
he  stirred  or  refused  to  go,  he  was  a  dead  man."  The 
feelings  of  grief,  indignation  and  insulted  dignity,  occa 
sioned  by  this  requital  of  his  white  allies  for  the  fifty 
years  of  friendship  and  protection  accorded  to  them  by 
his  father,  threw  the  high-spirited  chief  into  a  raging 
fever.  In  consideration  of  his  sudden  illness,  he  sought 
permission  to  return  home,  and  was  allowed  to  go  on 
certain  conditions ;  but  he  died  upon  the  way. 

Thus  an  independent  sovereign  of  a  nation  which  had 
preserved  the  strictest  amity  for  more  than  fifty  years 
with  the  government  of  Plymouth,  was,  upon  mere  sus 
picion  of  hostility,  basely  surprised  and  captured  within 
his  own  territory,  and  literally  insulted  to  death.  No 
Indian  torture  ever  inflicted  in  their  most  cruel  triumphs 
could  have  equalled  the  mental  sufferings  inflicted  on 
the  unoffending  prince  by  this  act  of  ingratitude  and 
injustice.  Surely,  if  there  were  no  other,  this  single 
outrage  were  cause  enough  for  the  famous  war  of 
King  Philip.  But  there  were  other  causes. 

Philip,  whose   Indian   name  was   Metacomet,   suc- 

*  Sowams,  Pokanoket  or  Mount  Hope,  the  principal  residence  of 
Massasoit  and  his  successors,  situated  near  the  town  of  Bristol, 
Rhode  Island.  From  it  Philip  receives  some  of  his  titles,  as  Philip 
of  Pokanoket,  Philip  of  Mount  Hope. 


PHILIP  PREPARES  FOR  WAR.  125 

ceeded  his  unfortunate  brother  in  the  sovereignty  of  his 
tribe,  the  Wampanoags.  After  assuming  the  govern 
ment  with  every  demonstration  of  attachment  on  the 
part  of  his  people  and  the  subject  sachems,  he  imme 
diately  made  his  appearance  before  the  court  of  Ply 
mouth,  after  the  example  of  his  father  and  brother,  in 
order  to  renew  and  confirm  the  long-existing  league 
with  the  colonists.  An  apparent  good  understanding 
subsisted  between  them  for  several  years  after  this 
transaction.  During  this  period  he  appears  to  have 
been  involved  in  a  dispute  with  the  Mohawks,  and  to 
have  lost  fifty  of  his  warriors  in  a  battle  with  them, 
fought  in  1669,  in  which,  however,  the  Wampanoags 
gained  the  victory,  and  thus  terminated  the  war. 

The  first  intimation  of  misunderstanding  between 
Philip  and  the  colonists,  was  in  April,  1671,  when  the 
sachem  complaining  of  certain  encroachments  upon  his 
planting  grounds,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Plymouth 
government  charging  him  with  meditating  hostilities, 
and  actually  arming  and  training  his  warriors  on  the 
other;  a  formal  conference  took  place  between  the 
parties  at  Taunton,  at  which  Philip  admitted  all  that 
was  alleged  against  him,  promised  amendment,  and 
with  his  council  signed  new  terms  of  submission.  It  is 
evident,  from  the  whole  history  of  this  transaction,  that 
Philip  had  already  determined  to  engage  in  a  war  with 
the  colqnies ;  and  that  his  present  acknowledgment  was 
a  mere  artifice  to  gain  time.  He  doubtless  had  the 
same  object  in  view,  when,  in  August  1671,  he  paid  a 
visit  to  Boston,  and  succeeded  in  completely  lulling  the 
suspicions  of  the  Massachusetts  government,  whom  he 
knew  to  be  more  friendly  to  him  than  that  of  Plymouth. 
This  proceeding  occasioned  a  new  conference  with 
Philip  at  Plymouth,  at  which  the  authorities  of  Massa 
chusetts  as  well  as  those  of  the  old  colony  were  present ; 
and  a  new  instrument  of  submission  was  signed  by 
Philip,  containing  abundance  of  promises,  which  the 
sachem  took  care  never  to  fulfil.  His  purpose  of  gain 
ing  time,  however,  was  fully  answered,  and  nothing 


126  vNDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STA1ES. 

further  occurred  for  three  years  to  rouse  the  suspicions 
of  the  colonists. 

During  all  this  time  Philip  was  engaged  in  maturing 
the  design  of  that  grand  enterprise  which  has  given 
him  the  character  of  the  most  able  and  politic,  as  well 
as  the  most  patriotic  of  Indian  chiefs.  This  was  no 
thing  less  than  the  union  of  all  the  New  England  tribes 
in  a  war  of  extermination  against  the  English  colonists. 
The  mutual  hostilities  of  the  various  tribes  rendered 
this  an  undertaking  of  exceeding  difficulty ;  but  he  so 
far  succeeded  in  it  as  to  extend  his  operations  from  the 
St.  Croix  to  the  Housatonic ;  and  to  involve  the  colo 
nies  in  the  most  formidable  war  with  the  natives  which 
they  have  ever  had  to  sustain.  As  the  Indians  had  no 
historians  of  their  own,  the  details  of  his  negotiations 
with  the  surrounding  aboriginal  nations  are,  of  course, 
unknown.  The  nature  and  extent  of  his  operations  can 
only  be  judged  of  by  their  success ;  and  when  referred 
to  this  standard  they  certainly  give  us  a  high  opinion  of 
his  talents  as  a  diplomatist  and  an  orator.  By  his  elo 
quence,  courage  and  address  he  united  all  the  northern 
tribes  as  one  man ;  and  if  one  untoward  circumstance 
and  the  ungovernable  fury  of  some  of  the  young  war 
riors  had  not  precipitated  him  into  the  war  twelve 
months  before  he  had  intended  to  commence,  and  thus 
prevented  the  perfect  maturing  of  his  schemes,  it  is 
probable  that  he  would  nearly  have  annihilated  the 
New  England  colonies.  As  there  are  so  many  popular 
histories  of  this  war,  we  shall  condense  its  leading  inci 
dents  in  a  summary  manner. 

In  1674,  information  of  Philip's  designs  was  given  to 
the  magistrates  at  Plymouth  by  John  Sassamon,  an  In 
dian,  who  had  been  educated  at  Cambridge,  and  had 
been  a  schoolmaster  among  the  Christianized  Indians 
in  one  of  Mr.  Eliot's  settlements.  He  had  subsequently 
lived  with  Philip  in  the  character  of  confidential  secre 
tary,  had  deserted  him  and  turned  informer,  and  still 
occasionally  visited  his  tribe  in  the  character  of  a  spy. 
In  January,  1675,  Sassamon  was  found  to  have  been 
murdered  and  thrust  under  the  ice  in  Assawomset  pond 


WAR  OF  KING  PHILIP.  127 

in  Middleborongh.  Three  Indians,  one  of  whom  was 
a  counsellor  and  particular  friend  of  Philip,  were  con 
victed  of  the  murder  at  Plymouth  court,  in  June  of  the 
same  year,  and  executed.  Whether  the  testimony  was 
sufficient  to  have  convicted  any  one  but  an  Indian,  is 
doubtful.  Philip,  who  had  undoubtedly  directed  the 
spy  to  be  privately  assassinated,  was  probably  appre 
hensive  that  he  might  himself  be  surprised,  taken  to 
Plymouth,  tried  as  an  accessary  before  the  fact,  and 
executed  in  the  same  summary  manner  as  his  counsel 
lor  had  been.  Determined  to  be  beforehand  with  his 
enemies,  he  commenced  hostilities  at  once.  His  tribe, 
the  Wampanoags,  sent  their  wives  and  children  to  the 
Narragansetts  for  security,  and  began  to  alarm  the 
English  at  Swanzey.  From  threatening  and  insulting 
the  inhabitants,  they  proceeded  to  killing  their  cattle 
and  rifling  their  houses.  Exasperated  by  these  out 
rages,  an  Englishman  shot  one  of  the  Indians;  and 
eight  or  nine  of  the  English  were  killed  in  retaliation. 
This  took  place  on  the  24th  of  June,  1675,  thus  com 
mencing  the  memorable  war  of  King  Philip.  On  the 
same  day  the  alarm  of  war  was  spread  through  Ply 
mouth  colony. 

On  the  28th,  a  company  of  foot,  under  Captain 
Henchman,  and  a  company  of  horse  under  Captain 
Prince,  with  a  hundred  and  ten  volunteers,  marching 
from  Boston,  joined  the  Plymouth  forces  at  Swanzey, 
and  marched  into  Philip's  country.  Some  skirmishing 
took  place  with  the  Indians  on  that  and  the  following 
day,  and  they  retreated,  with  a  trifling  loss,  into  a  neigh 
bouring  swamp. 

About  the  same  time  the  Indians  attacked  the  towns 
of  Taunton,  Namasket  and  Dartmouth,  burning  a  con 
siderable  part  of  the  houses  and  killing  many  of  the 
inhabitants. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  Captain  Hutchinson  marched 
a  large  force  into  the  country  of  the  Narragansetts,  and 
concluded  a  treaty  with  that  tribe.  Meantime  a  de 
tachment  under  Captain  Fuller  and  Lieutenant  Church 
was  dispatched  to  Pocasset,  where  Philip  commanded 


128  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

in  person.  Here  a  skirmish  took  place,  and  the  Indians, 
•after  a  loss  of  fifteen  men,  were  driven  into  a  swamp, 
where,  as  they  could  not  be  successfully  attacked,  it 
was  decided  to  surround  and  starve  them  out.  But 
Philip  contrived  to  escape  with  the  greater  part  of  his 
men,  and  retreated  to  the  country  of  the  Nipmucks  in  the 
interior  part  of  Massachusetts.  Captain  Hutchinsori, 
with  twenty  horse,  was  dispatched  to  the  Nipmucks  in 
hopes  of  reclaiming  them ;  but  they  had  already  com 
menced  hostilities  by  killing  five  persons  at  Mendon. 
Hutchinson  fell  into  ah  ambuscade  at  Brookfield  on  the 
2d  of  August,  and  lost  sixteen  men;  the  rest  fled  to 
Quaboag.  The  Indians,  three  hundred  in  number,  pur 
sued  the  fugitives  to  the  town,  to  which  they  set  fire, 
and  drove  the  inhabitants  into  a  fortified  house,  which 
they  were  on  the  point  of  taking  by  storm,  when  Major 
Willard  arriving  with  forty-eight  dragoons,  succeeded 
in  dispersing  them  and  relieving  the  garrison.  Philip 
joined  the  Nipmucks  on  the  next  day  with  forty  men, 
and  a  larger  number  of  women  and  children. 

About  this  time  the  Indians  on  Connecticut  river,  near 
Hadley,  Hatfield,  Deerfield,  and  also  at  several  places 
on  the  Merrimack  river,  commenced  their  hostilities. 
Captains  Lothrop  and  Beers  with  a  small  force  drove 
the  Hadley  Indians  from  their  dwellings,  and  pursued 
them  to  Sugarloaf  Hill,  where  a  battle  took  place,  in 
which  ten  of  the  English  and  twenty-six  Indians  were 
slain.  Those  who  escaped  joined  Philip,  and  a  few 
days  afterward  made  an  attack  upon  Deerfield,  killing 
one  man,  and  burning  several  houses.  Hadley  was  also 
attacked  on  the  same  day,  while  the  inhabitants  were 
attending  public  worship ;  but  the  Indians  were  repulsed 
by  the  English,  who  were  led  by  GofFe,  one  of  the 
judges  of  Charles  I.,  and  who  was  at  that  time  concealed 
in  the  town. 

Shortly  after  these  events  the  Indians  made  an  attack 
on  Northfield,  and  killed  several  of  the  inhabitants.  On 
the  next  day,  Captain  Beers,  with  thirty-six  men,  was 
waylaid  and  slain,  together  with  twenty  of  his  party. 
The  soldiers  and  inhabitants  of  Northfield  were  brought 


HITTCHINSON  FALLING  INTO  AN  AMBUSCADE.  Page  128. 

13 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  WAR.  129 

off  a  short  time  after  by  Major  Treat ;  and  the  town 
was  soon  after  destroyed  by  the  Indians.  Captain 
Lothrop  was  dispatched  from  Hadley,  by  the  command 
ing  officer  of  that  place,  to  Deerfield,  in  order  to  bring 
back  provisions  and  forage.  He  arrived  at  Deerfield 
in  safety,  with  several  teams,  accompanied  by  a  party 
of  eighty  men.  Having  purchased  his  provisions,  he 
set  out  to  return  to  Hadley.  About  three  miles  from 
Deerfield,  near  Sugarloaf  Hill,  he  was  waylaid  by  a 
body  of  about  seven  hundred  Indians,  and  nearly  all  his 
party  were  destroyed.  He  was  himself  killed  in  the 
early  part  of  the  battle :  out  of  the  whole  number  only 
seven  or  eight  escaped.  The  report  of  the  guns  was 
heard  at  Deerfield,  and  Captain  Moseley  hastened  for 
ward  to  the  relief  of  Lothrop.  He  arrived  at  the  close 
of  the  battle,  and  pursued  the  Indians  from  one  place 
to  another,  till  they  were  finally  compelled  to  seek  safe 
ty  in  a  distant  forest.  Soon  after  the  town  of  Deerfield 
was  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants,  and  destroyed  by  the 
Indians. 

In  October,  the  Springfield  Indians,  who  had  hitherto 
been  friendly  to  the  English,  laid  a  plot  to  burn  the 
town  of  Springfield.  They  received  into  their  fort 
about  three  hundred  of  Philip's  Indians.  This  plot  was, 
however,  disclosed  by  a  friendly  Indian,  and  Major 
Treat  was  dispatched  with  a  body  of  troops  to  defeat 
their  intentions.  He  arrived  in  time  to  save  a  quarter 
part  of  the  town.  Thirty-two  houses  were,  however, 
destroyed.  A  party,  consisting  of  seven  or  eight  hun 
dred  Indians,  attacked  the  town  of  Hadley  on  the  19th 
of  October ;  but  they  were  repulsed  by  the  troops  sta 
tioned  at  that  place. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  commissioners  of  three  United 
Colonies,  held  on  the  9th  of  September,  those  of  the 
Plymouth  colony  presented  a  narrative,  relating  to  the 
war  with  the  Indians  of  Mount  Hope  and  Pocasset; 
and  it  was  then  concluded  that  the  war  was  just,  and 
that  a  force  of  one  thousand  men  should  be  immediately 
raised;  and  it  was  further  considered,  that  as  the  Nai- 
ragansetts  were  accessary  to  most  of  the  outrages 

I 


130  INDIAN  WARS  OF  TJIE  UNITED  STATES. 

committed,  another  party  of  one  thousand  men  should 
be  raised  to  proceed  against  them.  The  troops  were 
accordingly  raised,  and  Winslow,  the  governor  of 
Plymouth,  was  appointed  comrnander-in-chief. 

On  the  18th  of  December  the  forces  of  the  three 
colonies  were  united  at  Petaquamscot,  and  they  march 
ed  through  a  deep  snow  toward  the  enemy,  who  was 
encamped,  at  about  fifteen  miles  distance,  in  a  large 
swamp.  The  English  arrived  there  at  about  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  immediately  marched  forward  in 
quest  of  the  enemy's  camp.  The  whole  army  entered 
the  swamp,  and  followed  the  Indians,  who  had  retreat 
ed  into  their  fortress.  This  they  attacked,  but  wo^  t 
first  driven  back.  They,  however,  made  a  second  at 
tack,  which  was  successful.  The  wigwams  were  set 
on  fire,  and  a  great  many  women  and  children  perished 
in  the  conflagration.  The  Indians  who  escaped  fled  to 
a  cedar  swamp,  at  a  small  distance.  The  Indians  are 
supposed  to  have  lost  one  thousand  men  in  this  engage 
ment,  while  the  English  lost,  in  killed  and  wounded, 
only  two  hundred  and  thirty.  The  great  body  of  the 
Narragansett  warriors  soon  after  proceeded  to  the 
Nipmuck  country. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1676,  the  town  of  Lancaster 
was  plundered  by  a  party  of  one  thousand  five  hundred 
Indians,  and  about  forty  persons  killed.  Medfield  and 
Weymouth  were  also  attacked  ^n  this  month,  by  two  par 
ties  of  Indians.  Although  various  companies  of  Indians 
were  scattered  over  the  country,  yet  the  main  body  of 
them  lurked  in  the  woods  between  Brookfield,Marlbo- 
rough,  and  Connecticut  river.  On  the  18th  of  April  they 
attacked  the  town  of  Sudbury,  and  killed  twelve  persons. 
Captain  Wadsvvorth,  with  a  party  of  fifty  men,  who 
was  dispatched  from  Boston  to  relieve  the  town  of 
Marlborough,  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  Indians.  They 
fought  with  desperate  valour,  but  were  finally  overpow 
ered  ;  and  the  few  who  were  taken  prisoners  were  des 
tined  to  torments,  in  comparison  to  which  death  would 
have  been  far  preferable. 

About  this  time  a  party  of  Indians  attacked  Scituate, 


ATTACK  ON  LANCASTER. 


Page  130. 


.  NANXUTENOO. 


Page  13L 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NARRAGANSETTS.  131 

but  they  were  repulsed  by  the  inhabitants ;  and  in  the 
month  of  May  various  parties  of  them  attacked  the 
towns  of  Bridgewater,  Plymouth,  and  Namasket,  at 
each  of  which  places  they  burned  several  houses,  be 
sides  committing  other  ravages.  * 

On  the  18th  of  May,  a  party  of  one  hundred  soldiers 
marched  silently  in  the  dead  of  night  to  Deerfield,  to 
attack  a  party  of  Indians  stationed  there.  They  sur 
prised  them  about  break  of  day,  and  succeeded  in  kill 
ing  about  three  hundred  men,  women,  and  children, 
The  Indians  soon  after  rallied  and  attacked  the  party, 
killing  Captain  Turner,  the  commander  of  the  expedi 
tion,  and  thirty-eight  of  his  men. 

A  party  of  six  or  seven  hundred  Indians  appeared 
before  Hatfield  on  the  30th  of  May.  After  burning 
several  houses  and  barns,  they  proceeded  to  attack 
the  houses  within  the  palisades ;  but  on  the  approach 
of  a  party  of  twenty-five  young  men,  belonging  to  Had- 
ley,  they  instantly  fled,  with  the  loss  of  twenty-five  men. 

In  the  month  of  March,  Captain  Denison  of  Stoning- 
ton,  succeeded  in  capturing  Nannuttenoo,  the  chief 
sachem  of  the  Narragansetts.  In  the  summer  months, 
several  volunteer  companies  made  ten  or  twelve  expe 
ditions,  and  succeeded  in  killing  and  capturing  two 
hundred  and  thirty  of  the  enemy.  They  drove  all  the 
Narragansett  Indians,  except  those  of  Ninigret,  out 
of  their  country.  This  sachem  had  formerjy  been  an 
enemy  of  the  colonies,  but  in  this  war  he  refused  to  join 
the  other  sachems,  and  some  of  his  men  bore  arms 
with  the  Connecticut  volunteers. 

A  standing  army  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  was 
ordered  to  be  raised  by  the  Assembly  of  Connecticut. 
Its  commander  was  Major  John  Talcot.  Early  in 
June,  Talcot  with  two  hundred  arid  fifty  soldiers,  and 
two 'hundred  Moheagan  and  Pequod  Indians,  marched 
from  Norwich  into  the  Wabaquasset  country ;  but  he 
found  it  to  be  entirely  deserted,  as  well  -as  the  fort  and 
wigwams  at  Wabaquasset.  On  the  12th  of  June,  the 
town  of  Hadley  was  attacked  by  about  seven  hundred 
Indians,  but  Talcot  and  his  soldiers  soon  appeared,  and 


132  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

drove  off  the  enemy.  On  the  3d  of  July,  the  same 
troops  came  up  with  the  main  body  of  the  Indians,  near 
a  large  cedar  swamp,  and  attacked  them  so  suddenly, 
that  a  great  number  were  killed  on  the  spot.  The 
others  fled  into  the  swdmp,  which  was  then  surrounded 
by  the  English,  who  succeeded  in  killing  and  capturing 
one  hundred  and  seventy-one  more.  About  the  5th  of 
July,  the  army  retired*  to  Connecticut ;  and  on  their 
return  took  sixty  more  of  the  enemy  prisoners. 

The  Indians,  being  thus  hunted  from  one  place  to 
another ,  and  disheartened  by  so  many  disastrous  defeats, 
began  to  come  in  by  small  parties,  and  surrender  to  the 
English.  Philip,  who  had  fled  to  the  Mohawks,  had  so 
provoked  them,  that  he  was  compelled  to  fly ;  and  he 
was  now  with  a  large  party  of  Indians  lurking  near 
Mount  Hope.  On  the  2d  of  August,  Captain  Church 
surprised  him  in  his  camp,  killed  one  hundred  and  thirty 
of  his  men,  and  took  his  wife  and  son  prisoners.  Philip 
himself  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 

The  personal  adventures  of  Quanonchet  and  of 
Philip  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  war  are  thus  given 
by  a  writer  of  our  own  times.  Some  events  already 
noticed  are  mentioned  in  the  extract. 

But  the  war  began  to  draw  to  a  close;  Quanonchet, 
venturing  out  with  a  few  followers  near  the  enemy, 
was  pursued  and  taken.  His  behaviour  under  his  mis 
fortunes  was  very  noble  and  affecting;  for  when  re 
peated  offers  were  made  him  of  life,  if  he  would  deliver 
up  Philip,  and  submit  his  own  people  to  the  English,  he 
proudly  rejected  them.  They  condemned  him  to  die, 
and,  by  a  refinement  of  cruelty,  by  the  hands  of  three 
young  Indian  chiefs.  The  heroic  man  said,  "  that  he 
liked  it  well,  for  he  should  die  before  his  heart  was  soft, 
or  he  had  spoken  anything  unworthy  of  himself." 
Philip  was  deeply  moved  by  the  death  of  the  chieftain, 
for  their  friendship  was  like  that  of  David  and  Jona 
than,  strongest  in  misery  and  exile.  He  was  not  ye* 
left  desolate:  his  beloved  wife  and  only  child  were 
with  him.  They  had  shared  all  his  sufferings ;  in  his 
flights,  his  inroads,  his  dwellings  in  the  swamps,  they 


SURKENDER  OF  QUANCNCHET.  Page  13£. 


MISFORTUNES  OF  PHILIP.  133 

seem  never  to  have  left  his  side.  The  unfortunate 
prince  now  returned  to  Mount  Hope,  the  scene  of  his 
former  power  and  happiness ;  it  was  for  no  purpose  of 
defence  that  he  came,  for  it  was  too  near  the  English 
settlements,  but  merely  to  visit  it  once  more.  "  He 
finds  it,"  says  Mather,  "  to  be  Mount  Misery,  Mount 
Confusion  1"  No  doubt  it  was  so  to  his  bleeding  spirit ; 
for,  with  all  his  savage  propensities,  this  prince  was 
susceptible  of  some  of  the  finest  feelings  of  our  nature. 
He  sat  down  mournfully  on  the  beautiful  Mount,  on 
which  were  now  the  ruins  of  his  fortress  and  camp ; 
but  he  could  not  remain  long  here,  for  the  feet  of  his 
pursuers  were  nigh,  and  he  was  compelled  to  seek  his 
distant  retreats  again: — there  was  a  greater  agony  in 
store  for  him  than  the  sight  of  his  ruined  home.  Early 
one  morning,  hjs  quarters  were  surprised  by  the  Eng 
lish,  most  of  his  followers  slain,  and  his  wife  and  son 
made  captive.  The  chief  fled,  broken-hearted,  but  un 
subdued,  leaving  all  he  loved  on  earth  in  the  hands  of 
those  who  had  no  mercy.  "  This  was  no  small  torment 
to  him,"  quaintly  says  the  historian.  "  Woe  to  him  that 
spoileth !  His  peag,  or  silver  belt,  the  ensign  of  his 
princedom,  also  remained  in  our  hands,  so  hardly 
did  he  escape."  The  measure  of  his  woes  was  not 
yet  full.  The  Indian  princess  of  Pocasset  was  warmly 
attached  to.  his  cause,  and  had  more  than  once  aided 
him  in  his  extremity;  she  had  received  him  beneath  her 
roof,  soothed  his  sorrows,  and,  what  was  more,  sum 
moned  her  people  to  fight  for  him ;  and  saved  him  and 
his  people  in  her  canoes  the  year  before.  Now,  she 
followed  him  in  his  flight,  and,  as  the  more  devout  said, 
as  if  by  a  judgment,  could  not  find  a  canoe  to  transport 
her,  and,  venturing  over  the  river  upon  a  raft,  it  broke 
under  her,  and  she  was  drowned.  Her  body  was  soon 
after  washed  on  shore,  and  the  English,  forgetful  of  all 
decency  and  delicacy  to  a  woman  of  her  rank,. though 
a  savage,  cut  off  her  head,  and  placed  it  on  high,  which, 
when  the  Indians  who  were  her  people  saw,  they 
gathered  round,  and  gave  way  to  the  most  sad  and 
touching  lamentations.  Philip  now  began,  like  Saul  of 


134  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE& 

old,  when  earth  was  leaving  him,  to  look  to  the  powers 
beyond  it,  and  to  apply  to  his  magicians  and  sorcerers, 
who,  on  consulting  their  oracles,  assured  him  that  no 
Englishman  should  ever  kill  him.  This  was  a  vague 
consolation,  yet  it  seems  to  have  given  him,  for  a 
while,  a  confidence  in  his  destiny,  and  he  took  his  last 
stand  in  the  middle  of  a  distant  and  almost  inaccessible 
swamp.  It  was  a  fit  retreat  for  a  despairing  man,  be 
ing  one  of  those  waste  and  dismal  places  to  which  few 
ever  wandered,  covered  with  rank  and  dense  vegeta 
tion.  The  moist  soil  was  almost  hidden  by  the  cypress 
and  other  trees,  that  spread  their  gloomy  shades  over 
the  treacherous  shallows  and  pools  beneath.  In  the 
few  drier  parts,  oaks  and  pines  grew,  and,  between 
them,  brushwood  so  thick,  that  the  savage  could  hardly 
penetrate :  on  the  long  rich  grass  of  these  parts,  wild 
cattle  fed,  unassailed  by  the  hand  of  man,  save  when 
they  ventured  beyond  the  confines  of  the  swamp. 
There  were  wolves,  deer,  and  other  animals;  and 
wilder  men,  it  was  said,  were  seen  here ;  it  was  sup 
posed  that  the  children  of  some  of  the  Indians  had 
either  been  lost  or  left  here,  and  had  thus  grown  up 
like  denizens  of  this  wild.  Here  the  baffled  chieftain 
gathered  his  little  band  around  him,  like  a  lion  baited 
by  the  hunters,  sullenly  seeking  his  gloomy  thickets, 
only  to  spring  forth  more  fatally ;  despair  was  his  only 
friend;  for  what  other  was  now  left?  his  love  was 
turned  to  agony ;  his  wife  was  in  the  hand  of  his  ene 
mies;  and  would  they  spare  her  beauty?  His  only 
son,  the  heir  of  his  long  line,  must  bow  his  head  to 
their  yoke ;  his  chief  warriors  had  all  fallen,  and  he 
could  not  trust  the  few  who  were  still  with  him.  Qua- 
nonchet,  whose  fidelity  and  attachment  were  stronger 
than  death,  was  in  the  land  of  spirits,  chasing  the  sha 
dowy  deer,  and  solaced  with  many  wives ;  for  Philip, 
io  tne  last,  believed  in  the  religion  of  his  country.  In 
this  extremity,  an  Indian  proposed  to  seek  peace  with 
the  English ; — the  prince  instantly  laid  him  dead  at  his 
feet.  This  man  had  a  friend,  who,  disgusted  with  the 
deed,  soon  after  fled  from  the  place  to  Rhode  Island, 


V136) 


PHILIP'S  DEATH.  137 

where  the  English  were  recruiting  their  weary  forces, 
and  betrayed  the  place  of  his  retreat.  On  this  intelli- 
gencej  a  body  of  forces  instantly  set  out.  The  night 
before  his  death,  Philip,  "like  him  in  the  army  of 
Midian,"  says  the  historian,  "had  been  dreaming  that 
he  was  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  English ;  he  awoke 
in  great  alarm,  and  told  it  to  his  friends,  and  advised 
them  to  fly  for  their  lives,  fpr  that  he  believed  it  would 
come  to  pass."  The  place  was  well  suited  to  awake 
all  the  terrors  of  the  imagination ;  to  any  eye  but  that 
of  the  savage,  it  was  like  the  "  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death ;  the  cypress  and  oak  trees  hung  heavy  and  still, 
over  the  accursed  soil ;  the  faint  gleam  of  the  pools  and 
sluggish  lakes  on  every  side,  in  the  starlight,  and  the 
howl  of  the  wolf,  fitfully,  as  if  it  warned  that  the  hour 
was  nigh."  "Now,  just  as  he  was.  telling  his  dream, 
Captain  Church,  with  his  company,  fell  in  upon  them." 
They  had  been  guided  by  the  deserter  to  the  swamp, 
and,  with  great  difficulty,  across  some  felled  trees,  into 
its  labyrinths.  The  battle  was  fierce  and  short;  Philip 
fought  till  he  saw  almost  every  follower  fall  in  his  de 
fence,  then  turned  and  fled;  he  was  pursued  by  an 
Englishman  and  an  Indian ;  and,  as  if  the  oracle  was 
doomed  to  be  fulfilled,  the  musket  of  the  former  would 
not  go  off;  and  the  latter  fired,  and  shot  him  through 
the  heart.  (See  Engraving  on  the  opposite  page.) 

With  his  death  all  resistance  ceased ;  his  dominions 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  colonists,  and  peace  was  re 
stored  to  the  settlements. 

"  The  fall  of  Philip,"  says  an  historian,*  "  was  then 
considered  as  the  extinction  of  a  virulent  and  implacable 
enemy.  It  is  now  viewed  as  the  fall  of  a  great  war 
rior,  a  penetrating  statesman,  and  a  mighty  prince.  It 
then  excited  universal  joy  and  congratulation  as  a  pre 
lude  to  the  close  of  a  merciless  war.  It  now  awakens 
sober  reflections  on  the  instability  of  empire,  the  pecu 
liar  destiny  of  the  aboriginal  race,  and  the  inscrutable 
decrees  of  Heaven.  The  patriotism  of  the  man  was 

*  Ramsay. 
14 


138  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE& 

then  overlooked  in  the  cruelty  of  the  savage ;  and  little 
allowance  was  made  for  the  natural  jealousy  of  the 
sovereign  on  account  of  the  barbarities  of  the  warrior. 
Philip,  in  the  progress  of  the  English  settlements,  fore 
saw  the  loss  of  his  territory  and  the  extinction  of  his 
tribe ;  and  made  one  mighty  effort  to  prevent  these 
cajamities.  He  fell ;  and  his  fall  contributed  to  the  rise 
of  the  United  States.  Joy  for  this  event  should  be 
blended  with  regret  for  his  misfortunes,  and  respect  for 
his  patriotism  and  talents." 

In  this  war,  which  lasted  only  about  fourteen  months, 
the  colonists  of  New  England  lost  six  hundred,  killed ; 
and  had  thirteen  towns  totally,  and  eleven  partially, 
burnt.  They  also  incurred  a  heavy  debt  for  the  ex 
penses  occasioned  by  the  contest.  Not  the  least  among 
the  disastrous  consequences  of  this  war,  was  the  inter 
ruption  of  the  pious  exertions  of  that  venerable  mis 
sionary,  John  Eliot,  in  converting  the  Indians  to  Chris 
tianity.  In  1674,  the  number  of  towns  and  settlements 
inhabited  by  praying  Indians,  as  they  were  then  called, 
who  received  his  ministry, — towns  in  which  industry, 
good  order,  and  the  best  instruction,  were  established, 
amounted  to  more  than  twelve,  when  the  war  came  on 
and  threw  a  cloud  over  all  their  prospects.  In  vain 
Eliot  endeavoured  to  avert  hostilities  by  visiting  and 
exhorting  the  chief.  When  he  saw  there  was  no  longer 
any  chance  of  peace,  he  besought  his  people  not  to  be 
moved  by  the  example  or  seductions  of  either  party. 

The  contagion,  however,  was  too  strong ;  and  he  at 
last  saw  many  of  them  take  up  arms  against  their  in 
fidel  countrymen.  The  order  and  harmony  of  their 
dwelling-places  were  for  a  time  utterly  blasted ;  on  the 
hills  around  Naticke  and  Pakeunit  the  watch-fires  were 
blazing ;  the  war-whoops  were  often  heard  in  the  night ; 
at  intervals,  a  solitary  musket,  and  then  a  signal-cry, 
came  from  the  neighbouring  woods ;  and  yet  nearer, 
the  poor  Indians  at  last  saw  their  plantations  without 
the  town,  burning ;  for  Philip  began  hostilities  by  a  sud 
den  attack  on  them,  so  that  their  taking  up  arms  was 
partly  in  self-defence.  This,  however,  did  not  prevent 


TERMINATION  OF  THE  WAR.  A39 

their  being  suspected  by  the  colonists;  and  a  great 
number  of  them  were  confined  on  Long  Island,  cruelly 
treated,  and  threatened  with  death.  Many  of  them  fell 
in  the  contest ;  their  settlements  were  all  desolated ;  and 
when  peace  was  restored,  the  indefatigable  Eliot  spent 
the  small  remnant  of  his  days  in  gathering  the  scat 
tered  remains  of  his  people  together,  and  restoring  their 
former  habits  of  industry  and  tranquillity.* 

*  Although  Philip's  war  is  generally  considered  to  have  been 
virtually  terminated  by  his  death,  the  Indians  of  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  and  the  British  provinces  east  of  these  colonies,  col 
lectively  called  the  "  eastern  Indians,"  remained  hostile  for  some 
time  longer.  On  the  6th  of  September,  400  Indians,  who  had 
already  entered  into  a  treaty,  were  treacherously  seized  at  Co- 
checo  (Dover,  N.  H.),  where  they  had  come  to  trade.  Some  of 
them  were  hanged  at  Boston,  for  having  been  concerned  in  Philip's 
war,  and  200  were  sold  into  slavery.  For  his  participation  in  this 
transaction,  Major  Waldron  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  life,  thirteen 
years  after. 

Mogg,  a  famous  eastern  chief,  signed  a  treaty  with  the  English, 
November  6,  1676.  An  armament,  under  Major  Waldron,  met 
the  Indians  at  Pemaquid,  in  February,  1677,  for  the  purpose  of 
treating  with  them ;  but  the  negotiation  terminated  in  a  skirmish, 
in  which  ten  of  the  Indians  were  killed  and  several  captured.  On 
the  19th  of  June  of  the  same  year,  Captain  Swett,  with  60  Eng 
lish  and  200  friendly  Indians,  fell  into  an  ambush  at  Black  Point, 
and  was  killed,  with  60  of  his  party.  In  April,  1678,  Governor 
Andros  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  eastern  Indians,  at  Casco, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  the  termination  of  King  Philip's  famous 
war. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR. 


ROM  the  time  of  King 
Philip's  war  (1688  to 
1697),  it  is  to  be  observed 
that  scarcely  any  of  the 
numerous  contests  be 
tween  the  English  colo 
nists  and  the  natives  were 
of  purely  Indian  origin ; 
and^t  is  highly  probable 
that  by  far  the  greater 
portion  of  the  bloodshed 
on  our  borders,  from  that  period  to  the  present  moment, 
might  have  been  spared,  if  the  Indians  had  not  been 
stimulated  to  aggression  by  our  foreign  enemies. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  Spain  considered 
the  boundaries  of  Florida  to  be  extended  indefinitely 
to  the  north  of  its  present  limits,  while  the  French 
claimed  the  territory  on  the  Atlantic  border,  as  far 
south  as  the  fortieth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and 
the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  under  the  name  of 
New  France.  As  England  claimed  the  Atlantic  coast, 
from  Florida  (as  it  is)  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  always 
granted  patents  for  the  belts  of  territory  between  these 
limits  extending  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
she  was  engaged  in  perpetual  disputes  with  these  two 
nations,  respecting  the  boundaries  of  her  American 
colonies.  The  French  and  the  Spaniards  were  both  far 
more  successful  than  the  English,  in  engaging  the  sym 
pathies  and  enlisting  the  services  of  the  Indians,  in  the 

(140) 


KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR.  141 

Dorder  wars  growing  out  of  these  disputes ;  and  hence 
it  happened  that  the  colonies,  for  a  long  period,  were 
frequently  assailed,  on  every  side,  by  their  combined 
savage  and  civilized  enemies.  All  these  wars  were 
marked  with  the  characteristic  cruelties  of  Indian  war- 
fare ;  and  the  history  of  almost  every  attack  might  be 
summed  up  in  the  words  surprise,  massacre,  conflagra 
tion,  and  retreat. 

In  the  notices  which  we  shall  hereafter  give  of  the 
wars  of  Carolina  and  Georgia,  it  will  be  perceived  that 
the  Spaniards  were-generally  the  instigators  of  the  ag 
gressions  on  that  border ;  on  the  northern  and  western 
frontiers,  the  colonists  had  generally  to  contend  with 
the  allied  forces  of  the  Indians  and  French ;  and  even 
when  the  French  did  not  appear  in  arms  with  their  re 
spectable  allies,-  they,  and  especially  their  Jesuit  priests, 
were  usually  the  instigators  of  the  attack.  This  was 
particularly  the  case  in  the  war  which  we  are  now  to 
notice,  commencing  in  1688,  and  terminating  with  the 
treaty  of  Ryswick^in  1697,  commonly  called  by  the 
colonists,  King  William's  War.  In  this  contest,  the 
French,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  commanded 
by  the  able  and  indefatigable  Count  de  Frontignac,  the 
governor  of  Canada,  aimed  at  nothing  less  than  the 
expulsion  of  the  English  from  the  northern  and  middle 
provinces,  if  not  from  the  continent ;  and  during  its  pro 
gress,  they  fitted  out  powerful  armaments  more  than 
once  for  this  express  purpose.  The  English,  on  the 
other  hand,  made  repeated  attempts  to  dislodge  their 
enemy  from  Canada,  which  purpose  they  finally  effected 
at  a  later  period.  As  the  French  invariably  availed 
themselves  of  the  services  of  their  Indian  allies,  they 
kept  the  frontiers  in  a  state  of  continual  alarm,  and 
often  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  colonies,  spread 
ing  terror  and  desolation  in  every  quarter. 

The  first  hostilities  of  this  war  occurred  on  the  east 
ern  border  of  Maine,  which  was  peculiarly  exposed  to 
the  incursions  of  the  Indians  and  French ;  and  the 
cause  of  quarrel,  as  usual,  was  the  vexed  question  of 
boundaries, 


1 42  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

That  portion  of  Maine  which  lies  between  Penobscot 
and  Nova  Scotia  had  been  given  in  exchange  to  the 
French  for  the  island  of  St.  Christopher.  These  lands 
were  occupied  by  the  baron  de  St.  Castine,  who  carried 
on  a  considerable  trade  with  the  neighbouring  Indians ; 
but  they  were  also  included  in  a  grant  of  land  made  by 
the  King  of  England  to  the  Duke  of  York,  who,  there 
upon,  in  order  to  strengthen  his  claim  by  actual  posses 
sion,  ordered  a  fort  to  be  built  at  Pemaquid,  and  a 
garrison  to  be  stationed  there.  Some  time  after  a  ship 
landed  some  wines  at  Penobscot,  supposing  this  place  to 
be  within  the  French  territory.  The  duke's  agents 
seized  the  wine,  but  it  was  soon  after  restored,  through 
the  influence  of  the  French  ambassador  in  England ; 
but  the  boundary  question  was  still  undecided. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1688,  Sir  Edmund  An- 
dros,  at  that  time  governor  general  of  New  England, 
by  appointment  of  James  II.,  sailed  to  the  disputed  ter 
ritory,  in  the  Rose  frigate,  and  plundered  Castine's 
house  of  every  thing  valuable  that  it  contained,  leaving 
only  the  ornaments  of  his  chapel  to  console  him  for  the 
loss  of  his  arms  and  goods.  This  base  action  provoked 
Castine  to  excite  the  Indians  to  war,  pretences  for 
which  were  not  wanting  on  their  part.  They  com 
plained  of  a  variety  of  frauds  and  aggressions ;  and 
forthwith  commenced  hostilities.  They  began  to  make 
reprisals  at  North  Yarmouth,  by  killing  cattle.  Justice 
Blackman  ordered  sixteen  of 'them  to  be  seized,  and 
confined  at  Falmouth ;  but  others  continued  to  rob  and 
capture  the  inhabitants.  Andros,  who  pretended  to 
treat  the  Indians  with  mildness,  ordered  those  seized  by 
Blackman  to  be  liberated.  But  this  mildness  was  disre 
garded  by  the  Indians,  who  kept  their  prisoners,  and  mur 
dered  some  of  them  in  their  barbarous  sports.  Andros 
then  changed  his  measures,  and  thought  to  frighten  them 
with  an  army  of  seven  hundred  men,  which  he  led  into 
their  country  in  the  month  of  November.  The  rigour 
of  the  season  proved  fatal  to  some  of  his  men ;  but  he 
never  saw  an  Indian  during  his  whole  march.  The 
enemy  were  quiet  during  the  winter. 


SURPRISE  OF  DOVER,  143 

(1689)  After  the  revolution  which  deprived  Andros 
of  his  office,  the  gentlemen  who  assumed  the  govern 
ment  of  Massachusetts  endeavoured  to  conciliate  the 
Indians  by  embassies  and  presents ;  but  this  policy  was 
counteracted  by  a  more  successful  system  of  diplomacy 
on  the  part  of  the  French. 

Several  tribes  now  entered  into  a  league  of  mutual 
protection  and  defence ;  these  tribes,  in  revenge  for 
Major  Waldron's  having  seized  four  hundred  Indians 
at  Dover,  thirteen  years  before,  as  already  related,  re 
solved  to  attack  that  place,  in  which  were  five  garrison 
ed  houses  under  his  command.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
town  had,  for  some  time,  neglected  to  keep  a  watch, 
imagining  themselves  to  be  in  perfect  security.  The 
Indians,  who  often  passed  through  the  town,  took  notice 
of  this,  and  determined  to  profit  by  it.  The  plan  which 
they  laid  was  as  follows :  two  squaws  were  to  go  in  the 
evening  to  each  of  the  garrisoned  houses,  and  demand 
a  night's  lodging  there.  As  soon  as  the  garrison  should 
be  asleep,  they  were  to  unbar  the  door,  and  by  means 
of  a  whistle  to  apprise  the  Indians  of  this,  who  were 
then  to  rush  in,  and  massacre  the  garrison.  The 
squaws  accordingly  went  to  each  of  the  above-mention 
ed  houses,  and  were  received  in  them.  When  every 
thing  appeared  to  be  quiet,  the  squaws  got  up  and  silent 
ly  opened  the  door,  and  gave  the  appointed  signal.  On 
hearing  this,  the  Indians  rushed  in,  destroying  all  they 
met  with,  and  committing  the  greatest  cruelties.  Twen 
ty-three  persons,  among  whom  was  Major  Waldron, 
were  killed  in  this  affair,  and  twenty-nine  taken  prison 
ers.  These  were,  for  the  most  part,  taken  into  Canada, 
and  sold  to  the  French.  Some  of  them  were  afterwards 
released,  but  the  greater  part  remained  in  captivity  till 
death. 

Among  the  persons  taken  prisoners  were  Mrs.  Otis 
and  her  daughter,  who  was  only  about  three  months 
old.  The  French  priests  took  this  child  under  their 
care,  and  had  her  educated  in  a  nunnery.  She,  how 
ever,  declined  taking  the  veil,  and  was  married  to  a 
Frenchman,  by  whom  she  had  two  children.  In  1714, 


144  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

being  then  a  widow,  she  left  her  two  children,  and  re 
turned  to  New  England,  where  she  abjured  the  Catholic 
faith.  Various  methods  were  afterwards  used  in  order 
to  induce  her  to  return  to  the  Romish  church ;  but  they 
were  all  without  effect.  She  was  afterwards  married 
to  Captain  Thomas  Baker. 

In  1690,  Count  de  Frontignac,  governor  general  of 
Canada,  sent  out  three  expeditions  against  the  American 
colonies.  The  first  of  these  proceeded  against  Sche- 
nectady,  then  a  small  village,  situated  on  the  Mohawk 
river.  This  party,  after  wandering  for  twenty-two  days 
through  deserts  rendered  trackless  by  snow,  approached 
the  village  of  Schenectady  in  so  exhausted  a  condition, 
that  they  had  determined  to  surrender  themselves  to  the 
inhabitants  as  prisoners  of  war.  But,  arriving  at  a  late 
hour  on  an  inclement  night,  and  hearing  from  the  mes 
sengers  they  had  sent  forward  that  the  inhabitants  were 
all  in  bed,  without  even  the  precaution  of  a  public  watch, 
they  exchanged  their  intention  of  imploring  mercy  to 
themselves,  for  a  plan  of  nocturnal  attack  and  massacre 
of  the  defenceless  people,  to  whose  charity  their  own 
countrymen  had  once  been  so  highly  indebted.*  This 
detestable  requital  of  good  with  evil  was  executed  with 
a  barbarity  which,  of  itself,  must  be  acknowledged  to 
form  one  of  the  most  revolting  and  terrific  pictures  that 
has  ever  been  exhibited  of  human  cruelty  and  ferocity. 
Dividing  themselves  into  a  number  of  parties,  they  set 
fire  to  the  village  in  various  places,  and  attacked  the 
inhabitants  with  fatal  advantage  when,  alarmed  by  the 
conflagration,  they  endeavoured  to  escape  from  their 
burning  houses.  The  exhausted  strength  of  the  French 
men  appeared  to  revive  with  the  work  of  destruction, 
and  to  gather  energy  from  the  animated  horror  of  the 
scene.  Not  only  were  all  the  male  inhabitants  they 
could  reach  put  to  death,  but  women  were  murdered, 
and  their  infants  dashed  on  the  walls  of  the  houses. 
But  either  the  delay  caused  by  this  elaborate  cruelty, 
or  the  more  merciful  haste  of  the  flames  to  announce 

*  For  the  account  of  Corlear's  kindness  to  the  French,  see  Chap 
ter  VIII. 


(146) 


PROGRESS  OF  INDIAN  HOSTILITIES.  147 

the  calamity  to  those  who  might  still  fly  from  the  assas 
sins,  enabled  many  of  the  inhabitants  to  escape.  The 
efforts  of  the  assailants  were  also  somewhat  impeded 
by  a  sagacious  discrimination  which  they  thought  it  ex 
pedient  to  exercise.  Though  unmindful  of  benefits, 
they  were  not  regardless  of  policy;  and  of  a  number 
of  Mohawk  Indians  who  were  in  the  village,  not  one 
sustained  an  injury.  Sixty  persons  perished  in  the 
massacre,  and  twenty-seven  were  taken  prisoners.  Of 
the  fugitives  who  escaped  half  naked,  and  made  their 
way  through  a  storm  of  snow  to  Albany,  twenty-five 
lost  their  limbs  from  the  intensity  of  the  frost.  The 
French,  having  totally  destroyed  Schenectady,  retired 
loaded  with  plunder  from  a  place  where,  we  think,  it 
must  be  acknowledged  that  even  the  accustomed  atro 
cities  of  Indian  warfare  had  been  outdone.  (See  En 
graving  on  the  opposite  page.) 

Count  Frontignac's  second  expedition  marched  against 
the  settlement  of  Salmon  Falls.  This  party,  consisting  of 
Indians  and  French  to  the  number  of  fifty-two,  fell  on 
the  village  at  day-break  in  three  different  places.  The 
inhabitants  made  a  bold  resistance,  but  were  finally 
overpowered.  On  the  retreat  of  this  party  from  the 
village,  they  were  attacked  by  a  force  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men ;  but  escaped  without  much  loss. 
The  third  of  the  three  parties  attacked  and  destroyed 
the  settlement  at  Casco. 

In  the  month  of  May,  an  assault  was  made  on  Fox 
Point  in  Newington,  in  which  several  persons  were 
killed,  and  a  few  taken  prisoners.  On  the  6th  of  July, 
two  companies  under  the  command  of  Captains  Floyd 
and  Wiswal,  came  up  with  a  party  of  Indians  near 
Wheelright's  Pond,  and  a  bloody  engagement  took  place, 
in  which  Wiswal  and  fourteen  others  were  killed,  and 
several  wounded.  The  battle  continued  for  several 
hours,  and  finally  both  parties  retreated  at  the  same 
time.  The  Indians  proceeded  westward  and  committed 
many  and  serious  depredations. 

The  inhabitants  of  New  England  having  suffered  so 
much  from  the  French  in  Canada,  resolved  to  form  an 


148  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

expedition  to  reduce  it  to  the  crown  of  England 
Accordingly  an  armament  was  equipped  and  placed 
under  the  command  of.  Sir  William  Phipps.  This  expe- 
pcdition  was,  however,  retarded  by  some  unforeseen 
events,  so  that  it  did  not  reach  Quebec,  the  place  of  its 
destination,  till  the  5th  of  October,  1690,  when  it  was 
time  to  return.  They  accordingly  abandoned  the  en 
terprise  and  returned  home. 

After  the  destruction  of  Casco,  in  1690,  all  the 
eastern  settlements  were  abandoned,  and  the  people 
retired  to  the  fort  at  Wells,  in  the  southern  part  of 
Maine.  On  the  25th  of  January,  1692,  the  town  of 
York,  adjoining  Wells,  was  surprised  by  the  French 
and  Indians,  who  killed  seventy-five  of  the  inhabitants, 
captured  as  many  more,  and  burnt  the  town.  On  the 
10th  of  June,  an  army  of  French  and  Indians  made  a 
furious  attack  on  the  garrison  at  Wells,  commanded  by 
Convers,  who  made  a  gallant  defence,  and  drove  the 
enemy  off. 

Sir  William  Phipps  having  received  instructions  from 
the  sovereigns,  William  and  Mary,  to  build  a  fort  at 
Pemaquid,  was  incited  to  the  prompt  execution  of  his 
order  by  the  recent  aggressions  of  the  Indians  in  that 
part  of  the  province.  He  embarked  at  Boston  with 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  in  August,  1690,  and  on 
arriving  at  Pemaquid  proceeded  to  the  erection  of  a 
fortress  of  greater  strength  and  dimensions  than  any 
hitherto  erected  in  British  America.  It  was  built  of  stone 
and  furnished  with  eighteen  guns,  six  of  which  were 
eighteen  pounders.  It  was  garrisoned  with  sixty  men,  and 
served  the  purpose  of  keeping  possession  of  Pemaquid, 
and  was  probably  intended  by  the  British  to  prevent 
the  French  from  claiming  Acadie  as  a  derelict  coun 
try.  As  a  means  of  annoyance  to  the  Indians  it  was 
not  worth  the  cost,  which  was  very  considerable.  The 
characteristic  remark  of  the  famous  Colonel  Church, 
who  accompanied  Phipps  on  his  expedition,  probablv 
expresses  the  estimation  in  which  it  was  held  by  most 
of  the  Massachusetts  people.  When  the  governor 
invited  Church  to  go  on  shore  and  give  his  judgment 


ATTACK  AT  OYSTER  RIVER.  149 

about  erecting  a  fort,  he  replied,  "  that  his  genius  did 
not  incline  that  way,  for  he  never  had  any  value  for 
them,  being  only  nests  for  destructions." 

In  1693,  Ma'jor  Convers,  with  five  hundred  men, 
marched  into  the  eastern  part  of  Maine,  without  en 
countering  any  Indians.  On  his  return  he  built  a  fort 
on  Saco  river.  The  Indians  soon  after  sued  for  peace, 
and  a  treaty  was  signed  at  Pemaquid,  by  which  they 
renounced  the  French  interest,  promised  to  maintain 
perpetual  peace,  restore  all  captives,  and  allow  a  free 
trade.  As  a  security  for  their  fidelity  they  delivered 
hostages. 

This  treaty  was  soon  violated.  The  Indians  would 
probably  have  observed  its  conditions,  if  they  had  not 
been  influenced  by  the  French,  and  particularly  by  the 
priests.  The  Sieur  de  Villiere,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  in  the  defence  of  Quebec,  when  Sir  William 
Phipps  was  before  it,  and  had  contracted  a  strong  an 
tipathy  to  the  New  Englanders,  being  now  in  command 
at  Penobscot,  he,  with  M.  Thury  the  missionary,  di 
verted  Madokawando  and  the  other  sachems  from 
complying  with  their  engagements ;  so  that  pretences 
were  found  for  detaining  the  English  captives  who 
were  more  in  number,  and  of  more  consequence  than 
the  Indian  hostages.  Influenced  by  the  same  perni 
cious  counsels,  they  sought  for  a  defenceless  point  of 
attack,  and  pitched  upon  the  settlement  of  Oyster  river, 
within  the  town  of  Dover,  N.  H. ;  and  the  design  of 
surprising  this  place  was  publicly  talked  of  in  Quebec, 
two  months  before  it  was  attacked.  There  were 
twelve  garrisoned  houses  in  the  place ;  but  the  people 
were  off  their  guard,  and  wholly  unprepared  for  an 
assault,  when  M.  de  Villiere  with  a  body  of  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  Indians,  collected  from  the  tribes  of  St. 
John,  Penobscot  and  Norridgwog,  attended  by  a 
French  priest,  marched  upon  the  devoted  town.  The 
enemy  approached  undiscovered,  and  halted  near  the 
falls  on  the  17th  of  June,  1694.  Here  they  formed 
two  divisions,  one  of  which  was  to  go  on  each  side  of 
ihe  river,  and  plant  themselves  in  ambush  in  small  par- 
15 


150  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ties  near  every  house,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  attack 
at  sunrise,  the  first  gun  to  be  the  signal.  John  Dean, 
whose  house  stood  by  the  saw-mill  near  the  falls,  leav 
ing  his  house  at  daybreak,  was  shot  as  he  came  out  of 
the  door.  This  disconcerted  their  plan ;  several  par 
ties  who  had  some  distance  to  go,  had  not  then  arrived 
at  their  stations;  the  people  were  alarmed,  some 
escaped,  and  others  prepared  for  defence.  The  signal, 
however,  being  given,  the  attack  instantly  commenced 
in  all  parts  where  the  enemy  was  ready. 

Of  the  twelve  garrisoned  nouses,  five  were  destroyed ; 
most  of  their  inhabitants  were  murdered  in  cold  blood 
without  resistance ;  others  surrendered  on  promise  of 
safety,  and  were  then  treacherously  butchered;  the 
rest  escaped  in  boats  on  the  river,  or  by  secreting  them 
selves  in  the  bushes. 

The  other  seven  garrisons  were  bravely  and  success 
fully  defended.  One  of  these  near  the  river,  surrounded 
by  a  palisade,  was  preserved  in  a  singular  manner. 
Thomas  Bickford,  the  owner,  being  alarmed  before  the 
enemy  reached  his  house,  sent  off  his  family  in  a  boat, 
and  then  shutting  his  gate,  betook  himself  alone  to  the 
defence  of  his  fortress.  Despising  alike  the  threats  and 
promises  by  which  the  Indians  would  have  persuaded 
him  to  surrender,  he  kept  up  a  constant  fire  at  them, 
changing  his  dress  as  often  as  he  could,  showing  him 
self  with  a  different  hat,  cap  or  coat,  and  sometimes 
without  either,  and  giving  directions  aloud  as  if  he  had 
a  number  of  men  with  him.  Finding  their  attempt 
vain,  the  enemy  withdrew,  leaving  him  sole  master  of 
the  house  which  he  had  defended  with  such  admirable 
address. 

When  the  enemy  began  to  apprehend  the  approach 
of  reinforcements  from  the  surrounding  settlements, 
they  hastily  retreated  through  the  woods  after  their 
usual  manner,  having  killed  and  captured  between 
ninety'  and  a  hundred  persons,  and  burned  twenty 
houses,  five  of  which  were  garrisons. 

About  forty  of  the  enemy  under  Foxus,  a  Norridg- 
wog  chief,  resolving  on  farther  mischief,  went  west- 


INDIAN  HOSTILITIES.  151 

ward,  and  did  execution  as  far  as  Groton.  A  smaller 
party  crossed  the  Piscataqua  and  killed  several  persons 
on  Mrs.  Cutts's  farm,  herself  among  the  number.  The 
scalps  taken  in  this  expedition  were  carried  to  Canada 
by  Madokawando,  and  presented  to  Count  Frontigriac, 
from  whom  he  received  the  reward  of  his  treacherous 
adventure. 

After  this  affair,  no  considerable  attack  was  made 
on  the  north-western  border,  until  June  26th,  1696, 
when  a  surprise  took  place  on  Portsmouth  plain,  about 
two  miles  from  the  town.  Five  houses  were  attacked 
at  once;  fourteen  persons  were  killed  and  four  cap 
tured.  The  enemy  was  pursued,  and  the  captives  and 
plunder  recovered ;  but  the  Indians  themselves  escaped. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  the  people  of  Dover  were  way 
laid  as  they  were  returning  from  public  worship  :  three 
were  killed,  three  wounded,  and  three  carried  to  Pe- 
nobscot  prisoners. 

The  plan  of  the  French  ministers  for  this  year,  1696, 
had  been  to  expel  the  English  from  their  posts  at  Hud 
son's  Bay,  Newfoundland,  and  Pemaquid.  The  expe 
dition  against  Pemaquid  was  committed  by  the  king  to 
Iberville  and  Bonaventure,  who  anchored  on  the  7th  of 
August,  at  Pentagroet,  where  their  force  was  aug 
mented  by  the  junction  of  the  Baron  de  Castine,  with 
two  hundred  Indians,  who  accompanied  the  French 
fleet  in  their  canoes.  On  the  14th,  the  fort  was  in 
vested.  To  the  summons  to  surrender,  Chubb,  the 
commander  of  the  fort,  replied,  "  that  if  the  sea  were 
covered  with  French  vessels,  and  the  land  with  Indians, 
yet  he  would  not  give  up  the  fort."  After  a  few  shots 
from  the  Indl  e  returned  without  effect 

from  the  for  -•  raised,  and  a  bombard 

ment  commenced.  iflta  how  found  means  to  con 

vey  a  letter  in:  mating  that  if  the  besieged 

waited  till  an  as--  :  place,  they  would  then 

be  at  the  mercy  of  the  Indians,  and  must  expect  no 
quarter.  Upon-  this',  the  garrison,  consisting  of  but 
eighty  men,  required  :  valorous  commander  to 
capitulate,  which  ho  did  oa  highly  honourable  and 


152  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

advantageous  terms.  The  famous  fort  of  Pemaquid, 
which  had  cost  the  Massachusetts  colony  an  immense 
sum  of  money,  was  now  demolished  by  the  captors. 
The  French 'then  devastated  a  great  part  of  Nova 
Scotia,  but  deferred  their  operations  against  the  forts 
at  Hudson's  Bay  and  Newfoundland  until  the  next 
year. 

In  June,  1697,  an  ineffectual  attempt  was  made  by 
the  Indians  to  surprise  Exeter,  N.  H.,  and  on  the  4th 
of  July,  Major  Frost  of  Kittery,  who  had  signalized 
himself  on  many  occasions  against  the  Indians,  was 
waylaid  and  killed  by  them. 

Very  extensive  preparatioris  were  made  by  the 
French  for  the  campaign  of  1697;  a  large  armament 
and  fleet  from  France  were  to  co-operate  with  the  com 
bined  land  forces  of  Indians  and  French  from  Canada, 
and  the  whole  country  from  Newfoundland  to  New 
York  was  to  be  conquered  and  devastated.  But  the 
fleet  sailed  too  late  in  the  season,  and  did  not  arrive  at 
Placentia,  the  rendezvous,  until  the  24th  of  July,  when 
a  council  of  war,  called  to  decide  on  the  question, 
unanimously  decided  not  to  make  the  proposed  descent 
on  Boston.  * 

The  peace  of  Ryswick,  which  had  been  signed  on 
the  20th  of  September,  was  proclaimed  at  Boston  on 
the  10th  of  December,  and  the  English  colonies  once 
more  enjoyed  repose,  after  a  louo-  and  bloody  war.  By 
the  seventh  article  of  this  treaty,  it  was  agreed  to  make 
mutual  restitution  of  all  the  countries,  forts,  and  colo 
nies,  taken  by  each  party  during  the  war.. 

After  the  treaty  of  Ryswick.  Count  Frontignac  in 
formed  the  Indians  that  he  could  no  longer  support 
them  in  their  wars  against  the  English,'  and  advised 
them  to  make  a  treaty  with  theii  late  opponents.     In 
conformity  with  this  advic  hided  a  treaty 

on  the  7th  of  January,  1699,  h   they  ratified 

their  former  engagements ;.  a  ged  subjection  to 

the  crown  of  England  ;  and  promised  future  peace  and 
good  behaviour.  It  was  [pxus,  and  many 

other  sagamores,  captain?,  ;u  men  of  the 


COUNT  FRONTIGNAC.  Page  152. 


WARS  OF  THE  FIVE  NATIONS.  153 

Indians  belonging  to  the  rivers  of  the  Kennebeck,  Am- 
meriscoggin,  and  Saco,  and  the  parts  adjacent. 

Our  notices  of  this  war,  it  will  be  observed,  are  con 
fined  chiefly  to  the  operations  in  New  England,  which, 
from  its  contiguity  to  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia,  was 
necessarily  its  principal  theatre.  The  contests  between 
the  French  and  the  Five  Nations  who  were  justly  con 
sidered  the  barrier  between  New  York  and  the  French 
colony,  will  be  noticed  in  another  chapter. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
WARS    OF    THE    FIVE    NATIONS. 

(TO  THE  CLOSE  OP  THE  LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.) 

"ONE  among  all  the  Indian 
nations  has  acquired  so 
much  celebrity  as  that 
confederacy  which,  from 
its  geographical  position, 
formed  the  barrier  be 
tween  the  middle  colonies 
of  Great  Britain  and  the 
French  possessions  on 
their  north-western  fron 
tier,  generally  known  by 
the  denomination  of  the  Five  Nations  of  Canada. 

This  federal  association  is  said  to  ha  e  derived  its 
origin  from  the  most  remote  antiquity;  and,  as  the 
name  imports,  it  comprehended  five  Indian  nations,  of 
which  the  Mohawks  have  obtained  the  most  lasting 
name,  and  which  were  united,  on  terms  of  the  strictest 
equality,  in  a  perpetual  alliance,  for  conquest  and 
mutual  defence.  The  members  of  this  confederation 


±54  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

reckoned  themselves  superior  to  all  the  rest  of  mankind, 
and  the  distinctive  appellation  which  they  adopted  was 
expressive  of  this  opinion.  But  the  principles  of  their 
confederacy  display  far  more  policy  and  refinement 
lhan  we  might  expect  from  the  arrogance  of  their  bar 
barous  name.  They  had  embraced  the  Roman  maxim, 
of  increasing  their  strength  by  incorporating  the  people 
of  other  nations  with  themselves.  After  every  conquest 
of  an  enemy,  when  they  had  indulged  their  revenge  by 
some  cruel  executions,  they  exercised  their  usual  policy 
in  the  adoption  of  the  remaining  captives  ;  and  frequent 
ly  with  so  much  advantage,  that  some  of  their  most 
distinguished  sachems  and  captains  were  derived  from 
defeated  and  adopted  foes.  Each  nation  had  its  own 
separate  republican  constitution,  in  which  rank  and 
office  were  claimed  only  by  age,  procured  only  by 
merit,  and  enjoyed  by  the  tenure  of  public  esteem  ;  and 
each  was  divided  into  three  tribes,  bearing  respectively 
for  their  ensigns,  and  distinguished  by  the  names  of,  the 
Tortoise,  the  Bear,  and  the  Wolf.  In  no  community 
was  age  graced  with  more  respect,  or  youth  endowed 
with  greater  beauty.  Such  was  the  efficacy  of  their 
mode  of  life  in  developing  the  fine  proportions  of  which 
the  human  frame  is  susceptible,  that,  when  the  statue 
of  the  Apollo  Belvidere  was  beheld,  for  the  first  time, 
by  the^American  Apelles,  Benjamin  West,  he  started  at 
the  unexpected  recognition,  and  exclaimed,  "  How  like 
it  is  to  a  young  Mohawk  warrior !"  The  people  of  the 
several  nations,  and  especially  the  Mohawks,  were  dis 
tinguished  by  the  usual  Indian  qualities  of  attachment 
to  liberty,  fortitude  in  the  endurance  of  pain ;  pre 
ference  of  craft  and  stratagem  to  undisguised  operation 
in  war ;  and  by  a  more  than  usual  degree  of  perse 
verance,  resolution,  and  active  intrepidity.  Almost  all 
the  tribes  around  this  people,  and  even  many  at  a  great 
distance,  who  were  not  included  in  their  confederacy, 
acknowledged  a  subjection  to  it,  paid  a  tribute,  which 
two  aged  sachems  were  annually  deputed  to  collect; 
and  were  restrained  from  making  war  or  peace  with 
out  the  consent  of  the  Five  Nations.  It  was  the  policy 


POLITY  OF  THE  FIVE  NATIONS  153 

of  all  the  chiefs  to  affect  superior  poverty,  and  to  dis 
tribute  among  the  people  the  whole  of  their  own  share 
of  tribute  and  plunder.  All  matters  of  common  con 
cernment  were  transacted  in  general  meetings  of  the 
sachems  of  each  nation :  and  the  influence  of  time, 
aided  by  a  long  course  of  judicious  policy  and  victori 
ous  enterprise,  had  completely  succeeded  in  causing 
the  federal  character  and  sentiments  to  prevail  over 
the  peculiarities  of  their  subordinate  national  associa 
tions.  In  the  year  1677,  the  confederacy  possessed 
two  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty  fighting  men.  When 
the  Tuscarora  tribe  was  vanquished  in  Carolina,  at  a 
subsequent  period,  and  expelled  from  its  territory  by  the 
colonists  of  that  province,  the  fugitives  proposed,  and 
were  permitted,  to  revive  their  broken  estate  by  engraft 
ing  it  on  this  powerful  confederacy ;  and  as,  (in  conse 
quence  of  a  supposition,  derived  from  similarity  of  lan 
guage,  of  their  original  derivation  from  the  same  stock 
to  which  they  now  returned,)  they  were  associated  as  a 
new  member  of  the  general  union,  instead  of  being 
intermingled  with  any  particular  portion  of  it ;  the  con 
federacy  soon  after  obtained  the  name  of  the  Six  Na 
tions.  Both  the  French  and  the  English  writers,  who 
have  treated  of  the  character  or  affairs  of  this  people, 
have  concurred  in  describing  them  as  at  once  ther  most 
judicious  and  politic  of  the  native  powers,  and  the  most 
fierce  and  formidable  of  the  native  inhabitants  of  Amer 
ica.  There  was  only  wanting  to  their  fame,  that  lite 
rary  celebration  which  they  obtained  too  soon  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  a  race  of  civilized  men,  who  were 
destined  to  eclipse,  and  finally  extinguish,  their  great 
ness  :  and  particularly  from  the  pen  of  a  highly  accom 
plished  writer,  Cadwallader  Golden,  one  of  the  governors 
of  New  York,  they  have  received  the  same  historic 
service  which  his  own  barbarian  ancestors  derived  from 
the  writings  of  Caesar  and  Tacitus. 

When  the  French  settled  in  Canada,  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century,  they  found  the  Five  Nations  engaged 
in  a  bloody  war  with  the  powerful  tribe  of  Jldirondacks ; 
in  which,  after  having  been  themselves  so  severely  press- 


156  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ed,  that  they  were  driven  from  their  possessions  round 
Montreal,  and  forced  to  seek  an  asylum  on  the  south 
east  coast  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  Five  Nations  had  lat 
terly  succeeded  in  gaining  a  decided  advantage,  and 
had  in  turn  constrained  their  enemies  to  abandon  their 
lands  situated  above  the  Three  Rivers,  and  fly  for  safety 
behind  the  strait  where  Quebec  was  built.  The  tide  of 
success,  however,  was  suddenly  turned  by  the  arrival 
of  Champlain,  who  conducted  the  French  colony,  and 
who  naturally  joined  the  Adirondacks,  because  he  had 
settled  on  their  lands.  The  conduct,  the  bravery,  and 
especially  the  fire-arms,  of  these  new  allies  of  the  ene 
my,  proved  an  overmatch  for  the  skill  and  intrepidity 
of  the  Five  Nations,  who  were  defeated  in  several  bat 
tles,  and  reduced  to  the  greatest  distress.  It  was  at  this 
critical  juncture  that  the  first  Dutch  ship  arrived  in  Hud 
son's  river,  with  the  colonists  who  established  them 
selves  at  Albany.  The  Five  Nations,  easily  procuring 
from  these  neighbours  a  supply  of  that  species  of  arms 
to  which  alone  their  enemies  had  been  indebted  for  their 
superiority,  revived  the  war  with  such  impetuosity  and 
success,  that  the  nation  of  the  Adirondacks  was  com 
pletely  annihilated  ;  and  the  French  too  late  discovered, 
that  they  had  espoused  the  fortunes  of  the  weaker  peo 
ple.  Hence  originated  the  mutual  dread  and  enmity 
that  so  long  subsisted  between  the  French  and  the  con 
federated  Indians,  and  entailed  so  many  calamities  upon 
both.  The  French,  less  accustomed  to  the  climate,  and 
less  acquainted  with  the  country,  than  their  savage  ene 
mies,  attempted  vainly  to  imitate  their  rapid  and  secret 
expeditions.  A  party  dispatched  in  the  winter  of  1665, 
by  Courcelles,  the  governor  of  Canada,  to  attack  the 
Five  Nations,  lost  their  way  among  wastes  of  snow, 
and  after  enduring  the  greatest  misery,  arrived,  without 
knowing  where  they  were,  at  the  village  of  Schenecta- 
dy,  near  Albany,  which  a  Dutchman  of  consideration, 
named  Corlear,  had  recently  founded.  The  French, 
exhausted  and  stupified  with  cold  and  hunger,  resem 
bled  rather  an  army  of  beggars  than  of  hostile  invaders, 
and  would  have  fallen  an  easy  prey  to  a  body  of  Indians 


158  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  Five  Nations ;  which,  however,  till  the  arrival  of 
Dongan,  seems  to  have  been  productive  of  no  farther 
connexion  than  an  extensive  commercial  intercourse, 
in  which  the  Indians  supplied  the  English  with  peltry 
in  return  for  arms  and  ammunition,  of  the  use  of  which, 
as  long  as  they  were  not  employed  against  themselves, 
the  venders  were  entirely,  and,  as  it  proved,  unfor 
tunately,  regardless.  The  Indians  adhered  to  the 
treaty  with  strict  fidelity ;  but  always  showed  a  scru 
pulous  niceness  in  exacting  the  demonstrations  of  re 
spect  due  to  an  independent  people ;  and  in  particular 
when  any  of  their  forces  had  occasion  to  pass  near  the 
English  forts,  they  expected  to  be  saluted  with  military 
honours.  In  the  meantime  the  French  Canadians  were 
not  remiss  in  availing  themselves  of  their  deliverance 
from  the  hostilities  of  these  formidable  Indians.  They 
advanced  their  settlements  along  the  river  St.  Law 
rence,  and  in  the  year  1672  built  Fort  Frontignac  on 
its  north-west  bank,  where  it  rushes  from  the  vast 
parent  waters  of  Ontario.  With  a  policy  proportioned 
to  the  vigour  of  their  advances,  they  filled  the  Indian 
settlements  with  their  missionaries,  who  labouring  with 
great  activity  and  success,  multiplied  converts  to  their 
doctrines,  and  allies  to  their  countrymen.  The  praying 
Indians,  as  the  French  termed  their  converts,  were 
either  "neutral,  or,  more  frequently,  their  auxiliaries  in 
war.  The  Jesuits  preached  not  to  their  Indian  auditors 
the  doctrines  that  most  deeply  wound  the  pride  of  hu 
man  nature,  nor  a  lofty  morality  which  the  conduct  of 
the  bulk  of  its  nominal  professors  practically  denies  and 
disgraces.  They  required  of  their  converts  but  a  su 
perficial  change  ;  an  embracement  of  the  external 
forms  of  Christianity ;  and  they  entertained  their  senses, 
and  impressed  their  imaginations,  by  a  ceremonial  at 
once  picturesque  and  mysterious.  Yet  as,  from  the 
weakness  of  man,  an  admixture  of  error  is  inseparable 
from  the  best  system  of  doctrine,  so,  from  the  goodness 
of  God,  a  ray  of  truth  is  found  to  pervade  even  the 
slightest.  The  instructions  of  the  Jesuits,  from  which  the 
lineaments  of  Christianity  were  not  wholly  obliterated, 


FRENCH  POLICY  TOWARDS  THE  INDIANS.  159 

may  have  contributed,  in  some  instances,  to  form  the 
divine  image  in  the  minds  of  the  Indians;  and  the  good 
seed,  unchoked  by  the  tares,  may,  in  some  places,  have 
sprung  up  to  everlasting  life.  The  moral  and  domestic 
precepts  contained  in  the  Scriptures  were  communi 
cated,  in  some  instances,  with  a  happy  effect:  and 
various  congregations  of  Indian  converts  were  per 
suaded  by  the  Jesuits  to  build  villages  in  Canada  in 
the  same  style  as  the  French  colonists,  to  adopt  Euro 
pean  husbandry,  and  to  renounce  spirituous  liquors. 
The  visible  separation  of  the  Catholic  priests  from 
the  family  of  mankind,  by  a  renunciation  of  conju 
gal  and  parental  ties,  gave  no  small  sacredness  to 
their  character,  and  a  strong  prevailing  power  to 
their  addresses.  In  the  discharge  of  what  they  con 
ceived  their  duty,  their  courage  and  perseverance  were 
equalled  only  by  their  address  and  activity.  They  had 
already  compassed  sea  and  land  to  make  proselytes, 
and  the  threats  of  death  and  torture  could  not  deter 
them  from  executing  their  commission.  Many  of 
them,  though  commanded  to  depart,  continue'd  to 
remain  among  tribes  that  were  at  war  with  their  coun 
trymen  ;  and  some  of  them,  on  the  principle  of  becom 
ing  all  things  to  all  men,  embraced  Indian  habits  of 
living.  One  of  these  last,  established  himself  so  firmly 
in  the  affections  of  a  certain  tribe  of  the  Five  Na 
tions,  that  although  they  continued  faithful  to  the  na 
tional  enmity  against  the  French,  they  adopted  him  as 
a  brother,  and  elected  him  a  sachem.  With  such 
industry,  resolution,  and  insinuation,  did  the  French 
Jesuits  exert  themselves  to  recommend  their  faith  and 
their  country  to  the  affections  of  the  Indians.  The 
French  laity,  too,  and  especially  their  civil  and  military 
officers  and  soldiery,  succeeded  better  than  the  gene 
rality  of  the  English,  in  recommending  themselves  to 
the  good  graces  of  the  savages.  French  vanity  was 
productive  of  more  politeness  and  accommodation  than 
English  pride;  and  even  the  displeasure  that  the 
French  sometimes  excited  by  commission  of  injuries, 
was  less  intolerable  than  the  provocation  that  the  Eng- 


160  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

lish  too  frequently  inspired  by  a  display  of  insolence 
The  stubborn  disposition  of  the  English  was  besf  fitted 
to  contend  with  the  obstructions  of  nature ;  the  pliancy 
and  vivacity  of  the  French,  to  prevail  over  the  jealousy 
of  the  natives.  There  were  as  yet  no  Protestant  mis 
sions  in  this  quarter  of  America,  which,  in  the  follow 
ing  century,  some  New  Englapd  clergymen,  aided  by 
a  religious  society  in  Scotland,  were  destined  to  illus 
trate  by  noble  and  successful  exertions  of  missionary 
labour. 

Colonel  Dongan,  who  was  not,  like  his  predecessors, 
encumbered  with  a  monopoly  of  all  the  functions  of 
government,  nor  absorbed  in  struggles  with  popular  dis 
content,  had  leisure  for  a  wider  survey  of  the  state  of 
his  countrymen's  relations  with  the  Indians,  and  very 
soon  discovered  that  the  peace  which  was  so  advantage 
ous  to  the  French  Canadian  colonists,  by  enabling  them 
to  extend  their  fortifications  and  their  commerce  over 
a  vast  extent  of  country,  was  productive  of  severe  in 
convenience  to  some  of  the  colonies  of  Britain,  and 
threated  serious  danger  to  them  all.  The  Five  Nations, 
inflamed  by  their  passion  for  war,  and  finding  a  pretext 
for  its  gratification  in  the  recollection  of  numerous  in 
sults  that  had  been  offered  to  them  in  the  season  of  their 
adversity,  had  turned  their  arms  southward,  and  con 
quered  the  country  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  borders 
of,  Carolina ;  exterminating  numerous  tribes  and  nations 
in  their  destructive  progress.  Many  of  the  Indian  al 
lies  of  Virginia  and  Maryland  sustained  their  attacks ; 
and  these  colonies  themselves  were  frequently  involved 
in  hostilities,  in  defence  both  of  their  allies,  and  in  pro 
tecting  themselves  against  allies  incensed  by  discover 
ing  that  their  invaders  derived  their  means  of  annoying 
them  from  the  English  at  New  York.  But,  in  1684, 
Colonel  Dongan,  in  conjunction  with  Lord  Effingham, 
the  governor  of  Virginia,  concluded  with  the  Five  Na 
tions  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace,  embracing  all  the 
English  settlements,  and  all  tribes  in  alliance  with  them. 
Hatchets,  proportioned  to  the  numbers  of  the  English 
colonies,  were  solemnly  buried  in  the  ground :  and  the 


THE  ENGLISH  IN  NORTH  AMERICA.  16] 

arms  of  the  Duke  of  York,  as  the  acknowledged  su 
preme  head  of  the  English  and  Indian  confederacy, 
were  suspended  along  the  frontiers  of  the  territories  of 
the  Five  Nations.  This  treaty  was  long  inviolably  ad 
hered  to ;  and  the  fidelity  of  its  observance  was  power 
fully  aided  by  a  renewal  of  hostilities  between  the  Five 
Nations  and  their  ancient  enemies,  the  French.  It  was 
at  this  time  that  the  merchants  of  New  York  first  ad 
ventured  on  the  great  lakes  to  the  westward,  hoping  to 
participate  in  the  trade  which  the  French  were  carry 
ing  on  with  much  profit  in  that  quarter,  and  which  they 
endeavoured  to  guard  from  invasion  by  prejudicing  the 
Indians  against  the  English,  and  by  every  art  that  seem 
ed  likely  to  obstruct  the  advances  of  their  rivals.  Don- 
gan  perceiving  the  disadvantages  to  which  his  country 
men  were  exposed,  solicited  the  English  ministry  to  take 
measures  for  preventing  the  French  from  navigating 
the  lakes  which  belonged  to  the  Five  Nations,  and,  con 
sequently,  as  he  apprehended,  to  England.  But  he  was 
informed  that  it  was  preposterous  to  ask,  or  expect,  that 
France  would  command  her  subjects  to  desist  from  an 
advantageous  commerce  for  the  benefit  of  their  rivals : 
and  he  was  directed,  rather  by  acts  of  kindness  and 
courtesy,  to  encourage  the  Indians  to  retain  their  ad 
herence  to  England,  and  to  make  it  the  interest  of  all 
the  tribes  to  trade  with  the  English  in  preference  to  the 
French ;  observing  withal  such  prudence  as  might  pre 
vent  offence  to  European  neighbours.  So  far  were  these 
views  from  being  realized,  that  from  this  time  there  com 
menced  a  series  of  disputes  between  the  two  nations, 
which  for  the  greater  part  of  a  century  engaged  them 
in  continual  wars  and  hostile  intrigues  that  threatened 
the  destruction  of  their  colonial  settlements,  cost  the  lives 
of  many  of  the  European  colonists,  and  wasted  the 
blood,  and  prolonged  the  barbarism  of  those  unfortu 
nate  Indians  who  were  involved  in  the  vortex  of  their 
hostility. 

On  the  death  of  Charles  the  Second,  the  Duke  of 
York  ascended  his  brother's  throne,  and  the  province 
of  which  he  had  been  proprietary  devolved,  with  all  its 
16  L 


162  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

dependencies,  on  the  crown.  The  people  of  New  York 
received,  with  improvident  exultation,  the  accounts  of 
their  proprietary's  advancement  to  royalty,  and  pro 
claimed  him  as  their  sovereign  with  the  liveliest  demon 
strations  of  attachment  and  respect.  They  had  been 
for  some  time  past  soliciting  with  much  eagerness  a  for 
mal  grant  of  the  constitution  that  was  now  established 
among  them ;  and  the  duke  had  not  only  promised  to 
gratify  them  in  this  particular,  but  had  actually  proceed 
ed  so  far  as  to  sign  a  patent  in  conformity  with  their 
wishes,  which,  at  his  accession  to  the  throne,  required 
only  some  trivial  solemnity  to  render  it  complete  and 
irrevocable.  But  James,  though  he  could  not  pretend 
to  forget,  was  not  ashamed  to  violate,  as  King  of  Eng 
land,  the  promise  which  he  had  made  when  Duke  of 
York ;  and  a  calm  and  unblushing  refusal  was  now  re 
turned  to  the  renewed  solicitations  of  all  the  incorpora 
ted  bodies,  and  the  great  bulk  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
province.  Determined  to  establish  the  same  arbitrary 
system  in  New  York  which  he  designed  for  New  Eng 
land,  so  far  from  conferring  new  immunities,  he  with 
drew  what  had  been  formerly  conceded.  In  the  second 
year  of  his  reign  he  invested  Dongan  with  a  new  com 
mission,  empowering  him,  with  consent  of  a  council,  to 
enact  the  laws,  and  impose  the  taxes ;  and  commanding 
him  to  suffer  no  printing-press  to  exist.  Though  he  now 
sent  Andros  to  New  England,  he  paused  a  while  before 
he  ventured  to  restore  the  authority  of  that  obnoxious 
governor  in  New  York.  But  the  people  beheld  in  his 
appointment  to  govern  the  colonies  in  their  neighbour 
hood,  an  additional  indication  of  their  prince's  charac 
ter  and  their  own  danger,  and  with  impatient  discontent 
endured  a  yoke  which  they  were  unable  to  break,  and 
which  they  were  prevented  from  exhibiting  to  public 
odium,  and  English  sympathy,  through  the  medium  of 
the  press. 

Dongan,  having  been  a  soldier  all  his  life,  seems  to 
have  been  fitted  rather  by  habit  to  regard  with  indiffer 
ence,  than  by  disposition  to  enforce  with  rigour,  a  sys 
tem  of  arbitrary  power;  and,  accordingly,  the  remainder 


TEADING  WITH  THE  INDIANS.          .  Page  163. 


INDIANS  AND  FRENCH.  163 

of  his  administration,  though  less  favourable  to  his  popu 
larity,  was  not  discreditable  to  his  character,  which 
continued  to  evince  the  same  moderation,  and  the  same 
regard  to  the  public  weal,  as  before.  Though  a  Roman 
Catholic,  he  had  beheld  with  alarm,  and  resisted  with 
energy,  the  intrusion  of  the  French  priests  into  the  set 
tlements  of  the  Five  Nations ;  and  even  when  his  bigoted 
master  was  persuaded  by  the  court  of  France  to  com 
mand  him  to  desist  from  thus  obstructing  the  progress 
of  popish  conversion,  he  continued  nevertheless  to  warn 
his  Indian  allies,  that  the  admission  of  the  Jesuits  among 
them  would  prove  fatal  to  their  own  interests,  and  to 
their  friendship  with  the  English.  He  still  insisted  that 
the  French  should  not  treat  with  the  Indians  in  alliance 
with  his  colony,  without  his  privity  and  intervention : 
but  the  French  court  again  employed  their  interest  with 
his  master;  and  he  accordingly  received  orders  to  de 
part  from  this  pretension.  The  Five  Nations,  however, 
seemed  more  likely  to  need  the  assistance  of  his  forces 
than  the  suggestions  of  his  policy.  Their  untutored 
sagacity  had  long  perceived  what  the  ministers  of  the 
court  of  England  were  not  skilful  enough  to  discern, 
that  the  extensive  projects  of  France  both  threatened 
themselves  with  subjugation,  and  involved,  to  the  mani 
fest  disadvantage  of  the  English  colonies,  a  diminution 
of  their  trade,  and  a  removal  of  the  powerful  barrier 
that  still  separated  them  from  the  rival  settlement  of 
Canada.  The  treaty  that  excluded  the  Five  Nations 
from  hostile  expeditions  against  the  more  distant  tribes 
allied  to  the  other  English  colonies,  gave  them  leisure 
to  attend  with  less  distraction  to  their  nearer  interests: 
and  finding  themselves  inconvenienced  by  the  supplies 
which  their  numerous  enemies  derived  from  the  French, 
they  had  of  late  chosen  to  consider  this  as  a  hostile  act 
which  they  were  entitled  to  resent  and  obstruct,  and 
had  constantly  attacked  the  Canadian  traders  who  car 
ried  military  stores  to  any  tribe  with  whom  thev  were 
at  war.  The  French,  under  the  conduct  of  two  suc 
cessive  governors,  De  la  Barre  and  Nouville,  had  vainly 
endeavoured,  partly  by  treaty,  and  partly  by  force,  to 


164  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

repress  proceedings  so  injurious  to  their  commerce,  their 
reputation,  and  their  political  views;  when  Dongan, 
perceiving  that  a  war  would  probably  ensue  between 
the  rivals  and  the  allies  of  his  countrymen,  prevailed, 
by  the  most  urgent  entreaties,  on  the  English  court  to 
invest  him  with  authority  to  assist  the  Five  Nations  in 
the  contest  that  menaced  them.  But  the  French  minis 
ters  gaining  information  of  these  instructions,  hastened 
to  counteract  them  by  a  repetition  of  artifices  which 
again  proved  successful.  They  had  already  more  than 
once,  by  their  hypocrisy  and  cunning,  succeeded  in  out 
witting  the  sincere'  bigotry  of  the  English  King ;  and 
they  had  now  the  address  to  conclude  with  him  a  treaty 
of  neutrality  for  America,  by  which  it  was  stipulated 
that  neither  party  should  give  assistance  to  Indian  tribes 
in  their  wars  with  the  other.  Armed  with  so  many  ad 
vantages,  the  French  authorities  in  Canada  resumed, 
with  increased  vigour,  their  endeavours  to  chastise  by 
force,  or  debauch  by  intrigue,  the  Indian  tribes  who  had 
preferred  the  English  alliance  to  theirs ;  while  Dongan 
was  compelled  to  sacrifice  the  honour  of  his  country 
.to  the  mistaken  politics  of  his  master,  and  to  abandon 
her  allies  to  the  hostility,  and  her  barrier  to  the  violation, 
of  an  insidious  and  enterprising  rival.  He  could  not, 
however,  divest  himself  of  the  interest  he  felt  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  Five-  Nations,  and  seized  every  oppor 
tunity  of  imparting  to  them  advice  no  less  prudent  than 
humane,  for  the  conduct  of  their  enterprises,  and  the 
treatment  of  their  prisoners.  But  his  inability  to  fulfil 
former  engagements,  and  afford  them  further  aid,  greatly 
weakened  the  efficacy  of  his  councils.  Though  the 
remonstrances  of  Dongan  enabled  the  ministers  of 
James  to  discover,  in  the  following  year,  that  the  treaty 
of  neutrality  for  America  was  prejudicial  to  the  in 
terests  of  England,  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  the 
king  from  renewing,  in  the  close  of  the  same  year,  this 
impolitic  arrangement  with  France. 

But  the  king  had  no  intention  of  relinquishing  his 
empire  in  America:  and  his  mind,  though  strongly 
tinctured  with  bigotry,  was  not  unsusceptible  of  politic 


NEW  YORK  ANNEXED  TO  NEW  ENGLAND.     165 

views;  though  he  seems  rarely  to  have  minglea  these 
considerations  together.  As  his  bigotry  had  prompted 
him  to  give  up  the  Indians  to  the  French,  his  policy 
now  suggested  the  measure  of  uniting  all  his  northern 
colonies  in  one  government  for  their  more  effectual  de 
fence.  It  must  be  confessed,  indeed,  that  he  seems  to 
have  been  at  least  as  strongly  prompted  to  this  design 
by  the  desire  of  facilitating  his  own  arbitrary  govern 
ment  in  the  colonies,  as  by  concern  for  their  safety,  or 
for  the  integrity  of  his  dominions.  As  this  scheme  in- 
.cluded  New  York,  and  as  he  thought  the  people  of  this 
province  now  sufficiently  prepared  to  abide  the  extrem 
ity  of  his  will,  he  indulged  the  more  readily  the  dis 
pleasure  that  Dongan  had  given  him  by  obstructing  the 
French  Jesuits,  which  had  been  a  subject  of  continual 
complaint  from  the  court  of  France.  The  commission 
of  this  meritorious  officer  was  accordingly  superseded 
by  a  royal  command  to  deliver  up  his  charge  to  Sir 
Edmund  Andros:  and  New  York  not  only  reverted  to 
the  dominion  of  its  ancient  tyrant,  but  beheld  its  exist 
ence  as  a  separate  province  completely  merged  in  its 
annexation  to  the.  government  of  New  England.  An 
dros  remained  at  Boston  as  the  metropolis  of  his  juris 
diction  ;  committing  the  administration  of  New  York 
to  Nicholson,  his  lieutenant-governor:  and  thoqgh  by 
the  vigour  of  his  remonstrances,  and  his  reputation  for 
ability,  he  compelled  the  French  to  suspend  some  en 
croachments  which  they  were  making  or  threatening  to 
make  on  the  English  territories,  he  could  lend  no  assist 
ance  to  the  Five  Nations  in  the  hostilities  that  were 
now  carried  on  between  them  and  the  French  with  a 
mutual  fury  and  ferocity  that  seemed  to  obliterate  the 
distinction  between  civilized  and  savage  men.  The 
people  of  New  York,  deprived  of  their  liberties,  and 
mortified  by  their  annexation  to  New  England,  felt 
themselves  additionally  ill  used  by  the  policy  which 
compelled  them  to  stand  aloof  and  behold  the  fate  of 
the  allies  to  whom  they  had  promised  protection,  to 
gether  with  their  own  most  important  interests,  suspend 
ed  on  the  issue  cf  a  contest  in  which  they  were  not 


166  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STAPES. 

suffered  to  take  a  share ;  while  all  the  while  their  coun 
trymen  in  the  eastern  part  of  New  England  were 
harassed  by  a  dangerous  Indian  war  which  was  be 
lieved  on  strong  reasons  to  have  been  excited  by  the 
intrigues  of  the  French.  But  though  deserted  by  the 
English,  the  Five  Nations  maintained  the  struggle  with 
an  energy  that  promised  the  preservation  of  their  inde 
pendence,  and  finally  with  a  success  that  excited  hopes 
even  of  the  subjugation  of  their  civilized  adversaries. 
Undertaking  an  expedition  with  twelve  hundred  of 
their  warriors  against  Montreal,  they  conducted  their 
march  with  such  rapidity  and  secresy  as  to  surprise 
the  French  in  almost  unguarded  security.  The  sud 
denness  and  fury  of  their  attack  proved  irresistible. 
They  burned  the  town,  sacked  the  plantations,  put  a 
thousand  of  the  French  to  the  sword,  and  carried  away 
a  number  of  prisoners  whom  they  burned  alive ;  re 
turning  to  their  friends  with  the  loss  of  only  three  of 
their  own  number.  It  was  now  that  the  disadvantage 
arising  from  the  neutrality  of  the  English  was  most 
sensibly  felt,  both  in  the  cruelties  with  which  the  In 
dians  stained  the  triumphs  they  obtained,  and  which 
the  influence  of  a  humane  ally  might  have  contributed 
to  moderate ;  and  also  in  the  inability  of  the  savages  to 
improve  their  victories  into  lasting  conquest.  They 
strained  every  nerve  indeed  to  follow  up  their  advan 
tage,  and  shortly  after  their  attack  on  Montreal  possess 
ed  themselves  of  the  fort  at  Lake  Ontario,  which  the 
garrison  in  a  panic  abandoned  to  them ;  and  being  now 
reinforced  by  the  desertion  of  numerous  Indian  allies 
of  the  French,  they  reduced  every  station  that  this 
people  possessed  in  Canada  to  a  state  of  the  utmost 
terror  and  distress.  Nothing  could  have  saved  4he 
French  from  utter  destruction  but  the  ignorance  which 
disabled  the  Indians  from  attacking  fortified  places: 
and  it  was  evident  to  all  that  a  single  vigorous  act  of 
interposition  by  the  English  colonists  would  have  suf 
ficed,  to  terminate  for  ever  the  rivalry  of  France  and 
England  in  this  quarter  of  the  world. 

In  the  early  part   of  the   contest  which  we  have 


INDIAN  WARFARE  AGAINST  THE  FRENCH.  107 

already  noticed  under  the  name  of  King  William's 
War,  the  Five  Nations,  somewhat  offended  by  the  re 
cent  impolitic  neutrality  of  the  English,  took  no  part  on 
sither  side.  In  1691,  however,  when  Colonel  Sloughter 
was  governor  of  New  York,  they  were  induced  to  a 
change  of  policy. 

The  most  respectable  act  of  Sloughter's  short  ad 
ministration  was  a  conference  which  he  held  with  the 
chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations,  who  admitted  that  they  had 
so  far  relaxed  their  hostile  purposes  against  the  French, 
as  to  entertain  propositions  for  a  lasting  peace  with 
them ;  but  now  willingly  consented  to  brighten,  as  they 
termed  it,  their  ancient  belt  of  friendship,  and  to  renew 
a  league,  offensive  and  defensive,  with  the  English. 
"  We  remember,"  they  declared,  "  the  deceit  and  trea 
chery  of  the  French :  the  belt  they  have  sent  us  is  poi 
son  ;  we  spew  it  out  of  our  mouths ;  and  are  resolved 
to  make  war  with  them  as  long  as  we  live."  On  his 
return  from  this  conference,  a  sudden  death  put  a  pe 
riod  to  Sloughter's  administration. 

To  animate  the  Indians  in  the  purposes  they  had  now 
professed,  and  to  sharpen,  by  exercise,  their  hostility 
against  the  French,  Major  Schuyler,  who  had  acquired 
extraordinary  influence  with  the  Five  Nations  by  his 
courage,  good  sense,  and  friendly  attention  to  their  in 
terests,  undertook,  in  the  close  of  this  year,  an  expedi 
tion  against  Montreal,  at  the  head  of  a  considerable 
body  of  colonial  and  Indian  forces.  Though  the  in 
vaders  were  finally  compelled  to  retreat,  the  French 
sustained  great  loss  in  several  encounters,  and  the  spirit 
and  animosity  of  the  Five  Nations  were  whetted  to 
such  a  pitch,  that  even  when  their  allies  retired,  they 
continued  during  the  winter  to  wage  incessant,  and 
harassing  hostilities  with  the  French.  Count  Fron- 
tignac,  whose  sprightly  manners  and  energetic  char 
acter  supported  the  spirits  of  his  countrymen  amidst 
every  reverse,  was  at  length  so  provoked  with  what  he 
deemed  the  ingratitude  of  the  Five  Nations  for  his 
kindness  to  them  at  Schenectady,  that,  besides  encou 
."aging  his  own  Indian  allies  to  burn  their  prisoners 


168  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

alive,  he  at  length  condemned  to  a  death  still  more 
dreadful,  two  Mohawk  warriors  who  had  fallen  into  his 
hands.  In  vain  the  French  priests  remonstrated  against 
this  sentence,  and  urged  him  not  to  bring  so  foul  a  stain 
on  the  Christian  name :  the  count  declared  that  every 
consideration  must  yield  to  the  safety  and  defence  of 
his  people,  and  that  the  Indians  must  not  be  encouraged 
to  believe  that  they  might  practise  the  extreme  of 
cruelty  on  the  French  without  the  hazard  of  having  it 
retorted  on  themselves.  If  he  had  been  merely  actu 
ated  by  politic  considerations,  without  being  stimulated 
by  revenge,  he  might  have  plainly  perceived,  from  the 
conduct  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  their  wars  with  each 
other,  that  the  fear  of  retort  had  no  efficacy  whatever 
to  restrain  them  from  their  barbarous  practices,  which 
he  now  undertook  to  sanction  as  far  as  his  example 
was  capable  of  doing.  The  priests,  finding  that  their 
humane  intercession  was  ineffectual,  repaired  to  the 
prisoners,  and  laboured  to  persuade  them  to  embrace 
the  Christian  name,  as  a  preparation  for  the  dreadful 
fate  which  they  were  about  to  receive  from  Christian 
hands ;  but  their  instructions  were  rejected  with  scorn 
and  derision,  and  they  found  the  prisoners  determined 
to  dignify,  by  Indian  sentiments  and  demeanour,  the 
Indian  death  which  they  had  been  condemned  to  un 
dergo.  Shortly  before  the  execution,  some  Frenchman, 
less  inhuman  than  his  governor,  threw  a  knife  into  the 
prison,  and  one  of  the  Mohawks  immediately  dispatched 
himself  with  it :  the  other,  expressing  contempt  at  his 
companion's  mean  evasion  from  glory,  walked  to  the 
stake,  singing  in  his  death-chant,  that  he  was  a  Mo 
hawk  warrior,  that  all  the  power  of  man  could  not  ex 
tort  the  least  expression  of  suffering  from  his  lips, 
and  that  it  was  ample  consolation  to  him  to  reflect  that 
he  had  made  many  Frenchmen  suffer  the  same  pangs 
that  he  must  now  himself  undergo.  When  attached  to 
the  stake,  he  looked  round  on  his  executioners,  their  in 
struments  of  torture,  and  the  assembled  multitude  of 
spectators,  with  all  the  complacency  of  heroic  fortitude  • 
and,  after  enduring  for  some  hours,  with  composed  mien 


THE  FIVE  NATIONS  AIDED  BY  THE  ENGLISH.         169 

and  triumphant  language,  a  series  of  barbarities  too 
atrocious  and  disgusting  to  be  recited,  his  sufferings 
were  terminated  by  the  interposition  of  a  French  lady, 
who  prevailed  with  the  governor  to  order  that  mortai 
blow,  to  which  human  cruelty  has  given  the  name  of 
coup  de  grace,  or  stroke  of  favour. 

During  Colonel  Fletcher's  administration  (1693),  he 
paid  but  little  personal  attention  to  Indian  affairs. 

It  was  fortunate  for  New  York  that  the  incapacity 
of  her  governor  was  prevented  from  being  so  detri 
mental  as  it  might  otherwise  have  proved  to  her  Indian 
interests,  by  the  confidence  he  reposed  in  Major  Schuy- 
ler,  whose  weighty  influence  was  employed  to  preserve 
the  affections  and  sustain  the  spirit  of  the  Five  Nations. 
Yet  so  imperfectly  were  they  assisted  by  the  colony, 
that  Frontignac,  even  while  occupied  with  other  hos 
tilities  in  New  England,  was  able  by  his  vigour  and 
activity  to  give  them  a  severe  defeat.  Roused  by  this 
intelligence,  Fletcher  assembled  the  militia  of  New 
York,  and  abruptly  demanding  who  was  willing  to 
march  to  the  aid  of  their  allies  against  the  French,  the 
men  threw  up  their  hats  in  the  air  and  answered  unani 
mously,  "  One  and  all."  The  march  was  effected  with 
a  rapidity  that  highly  gratified  the  Indians ;  and  though 
it  produced  no  substantial  advantage  to  them,  it  was  so 
favourably  regarded  as  a  demonstration  of  promptitude 
to  aid  them,  that  they  were  prevented  from  embracing 
Frontignac's  offers  of  peace.  They  could  not  help  ob 
serving,  however,  that  it  was  too  frequent  with  the 
English  to  defer  their  succours  till  they  had  become 
unavailing ;  and  that  while  the  whole  power  of 
France  in  America  was  concentrated  in  simultaneous 
efforts  to  maintain  the  French  dominion,  the  English 
colonies  acted  with  partial  and  divided  operation,  and 
Maryland  and  Delaware  in  particular  (though  the  quar 
rel  was  said  to  be  a  national  one)  took  no  share  in  the 
hostilities  at  all. 

The  remainder  of  Fletcher's  administration  was  not 
distinguished  by  any  occurrence  that  deserves  to  be 
particularly  commemorated.  (1695.)  The  war  between 


170  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

the  French  and  the  Five  Nations  sometimes  languished 
by  the  address  of  Frontignac's  negotiations,  and  was 
oftener  kindled  into  additional  rage  and  destruction  by 
his  enterprise  and  activity.  Neither  age  nor  decrepi 
tude  could  chill  the  ardour  of  this  man's  spirit,  or  im 
pair  the  resources  of  his  capacity.  On  the  threshold 
of  his  own  fate,  and  supported  in  a  litter,  he  flew  to 
every  point  of  attack  or  defence,  to  animate  the  havoc 
of  war,  and  contemplate  the  execution  of  his  plans. 
His  own  bodily  situation  had  as  little  effect  in  mitigating 
his  rigour,  as  in  diminishing  his  activity :  and  as  their 
hostilities  were  prolonged,  the  French  and  the  Indians 
seemed  to  be  inspired  with  a  mutual  emulation  of  cru 
elty  in  victory,  no  less  than  of  prowess  in  battle.  The 
prisoners  on  both  sides  were  made  to  expire  in  tor 
tures  ;  and  the  French,  less  prepared  by  education  and 
physical  habits  for  such  extremities  of  suffering,  en 
dured  a  great  deal  more  evil  than  they  were  able  to 
inflict.  (1696.)  On  one  occasion,  when  Frontignac 
succeeded  in  capturing  a  Mohawk  fort,  it  was  found 
deserted  of  all  its  inhabitants  except  a  sachem  in  ex 
treme  old  age,  who  sat  with  the  composure  of  an 
ancient  Roman  in  his  capitol,  and  saluted  his  civilized 
compeer  in  age  and  infirmity,  with  dignified  courtesy 
and  venerable  address.  Every  hand  was  instantly  raised 
to  wound  and  deface  his  time-stricken  frame;  and 
while  French  and  Indian  knives  were  plunged  into  his 
body,  he  recommended  to  his  Indian  enemies  rather  to 
burn  him  with  fire,  that  he  might  teach  their  French 
allies  how  to  suffer  like  men.  "  Never,  perhaps,"  says 
Charlevoix,  "  was  a  man  treated  with  more  cruelty  ; 
nor  ever  did  any  endure  it  with  superior  magnanimity 
and  resolution."  The  governor  of  New  York,  mean 
while,  encouraged  the  Five  Nations,  from  time  to  time, 
to  persevere  in  the  contest,  by  endeavouring  to  nego 
tiate  alliances  between  them  and  other  tribes,  and  by 
sending  them  valuable  presents  of  ammunition  and  of 
the  European  commodities  which  they  principally  es 
teemed  :  and  their  intercourse  with  him  fluctuated  be 
tween  grateful  acknowledgments  of  these  occasional 


PEACE  OF  RYSWICK.  171 

supplies,  and  angry  complaints  that  he  fought  all  his 
battles  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  Indians.  Indeed, 
except  repelling  some  insignificant  attacks  of  the  French 
on  the  frontiers  of  the  province,  the  English  governor 
took  no  actual  share  in  the  war,  and  left  the  most  im 
portant  interests  of  his  countrymen  to  be  upheld  against 
the  efforts  of  a  skilful  and  inveterate  foe,  by  the  un 
aided  valour  of  their  Indian  allies. 

(September,  1697.)  The  peace  of  Ryswick,  which 
interrupted  the  hostilities  of  the  French  and  English, 
threatened  at  first  to  be  attended  with  fatal  conse 
quences  to  the  allies,  to  whose  exertions  the  English 
had  been  so  highly  indebted ;  and  if  Fletcher  had  been 
permitted  to  continue  longer  in  the  government  of  New 
York,  this  result,  no  less  dangerous  than  dishonourable 
to  his  countrymen,  would  most  probably  have  ensued. 
A  considerable  part  of  the  forces  of  Count  Frontignac 
had  been  employed  hitherto  in  warlike  operations 
against  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  in  conjunc 
tion  with  the  numerous  Indian  allies  whom  he  possessed 
in  that  quarter.  (1698.  Peace  of  Ryswick.)  But  the 
peace  of  Ryswick,  of  which  he  now  received  intelli 
gence,  enabled  him  to  concentrate  his  whole  disposable 
force  against  the  only  foe  that  remained  to  him :  and 
refusing  to  consider  the  Five  Nations  as  identified  with 
the  English,  he  prepared  to  invade  them  with  such  an 
army  as  they  never  before  had  to  cope  with,  and  over 
whelm  them  with  a  vengeance  which  they  seemed  in 
capable  of  resisting.  (April.)  But  Fletcher  had  now 
been  very  seasonably  succeeded  by  the  Earl  of  Bella- 
mont,  who  was  appointed  governor  both  of  New  York 
and  Massachusetts ;  and  this  nobleman  being  endowed 
with  a  considerable  share  both  of  resolution  and  capa 
city,  clearly  perceived  the  danger  and  injustice  of  suf 
fering  the  French  project  to  be  carried  into  effect,  and 
promptly  interposed  to  counteract  it.  He  not  only 
furnished  the  Five  Nations  writh  an  ample  supply  of 
ammunition  and  military  stores,  but  notified  to  Count 
Frontignac,  that  if  the  French  should  presume  to  attack 
them,  he  would  march  with  the  whole  forces  of  his 


172  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

province  to  their  aid.  The  count  thereupon  abandoned 
his  enterprise,  and  complained  to  his  sovereign  (Louis 
the  Fourteenth)  of  the  interruption  it  had  received ; 
while  Lord  Bellamont,  in  like  manner,  apprised  King 
William  of  the  step  he  had  taken.  The  two  kings 
commanded  their  respective  governors  to  lend  assist 
ance  to  each  other  and  evince  a  spirit  of  accommoda 
tion  in  making  the  peace  effectual  to  both  nations,  and 
to  leave  all  disputes  concerning  the  dependency  of  the 
Indian  tribes  to  the  determination  of  the  commissioners 
who  were  to  be  named  in  pursuance  of  the  treaty  of 
Ryswick.  Shortly  after  the  reception  of  these  man 
dates,  a  peace  was  concluded  between  the  French  and 
the  Five  Nations:  but  not  till  English  insolence  and 
French  cunning  had  nearly  detached  these  tribes  en 
tirely  from  the  alliance  they  had  so  steadily  maintained, 
by  leading  them  to  believe  that  the  English  interposed 
in  their  concerns  for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  ac 
counted  them  their  slaves.  The  French  endeavoured 
to  take  advantage  of  their  ill  humour  by  prevailing 
with  them  to  receive  an  establishment  of  Jesuits  into 
their  settlements.  But  although  the  Indians  at  first  en 
tertained  the  offer,  and  listened  with  their  usual  gra 
vity  and  politeness  to  the  speech  of  a  Jesuit  who 
had  been  sent  to  enforce  it,  their  habitual  sentiments 
soon  prevailed  over  a  transient  discontent,  and  they 
declared  their  determination  to  adhere  to  the  English, 
and  to  receive,  instead  of  the  French  priests,  a  ministry 
of  Protestant  pastors  which  Lord  Bellamont  had  pro 
posed  to  establish  among  them. 

The  war  waged  by  the  Corees  and  Tuscaroras 
against  the  Carolinians,  noticed  in  another  chapter  of 
this  history,  was  the  occasion  of  adding  another  tribe 
to  the  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations.  After  the  ter 
rible  defeat  suffered  by  the  Indians  on  that  occasion, 
the  Tuscaroras  abandoned  their  ancient  residence  in 
Carolina,  and,  travelling  to  the  north,  united  themselves 
to  the  Five  Nations,  whose  allies  they  had  been  in  some 
of  the  southern  expeditions  of  the  confederated  tribes. 
From  a  similarity  in  their  language,  they  were  believed 


THE  TUSCARORAS.  173 

to  have  had  a  common  origin,  and  perhaps  for  this  rea 
son  they  were  the  more  readily  received  by  the  haughty 
magnates  of  the  confederacy.  They  were  readily  ac 
commodated  with  a  section  of  territory  to  dwell  in ; 
and  after  this,  the  allied  powers  were  styled  the  Six 
Nations.  The  Tuscaroras,  however,  were  not  Mo 
hawks;  they  were  less  remarkable  for  strength  and 
courage  than  the  northern  tribes,  and  consequently 
were  always  regarded  as  inferiors. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  century 
to  1750,  the  Jesuit  missionaries  and  trading  agents  of 
the  French  succeeded  in  exerting  considerable  influ 
ence  over  the  Six  Nations.  By  accommodating  them 
selves  to  the  martial  tastes  of  the  savages,  and  dazzling 
them  with  the  splendid  and  imposing  ceremonies  of  the 
Catholic  church,  they  so  far  ingratiated  themselves 
with  the  Indians  as  to  obtain  their  permission  to  build 
forts  in  their  territory ;  and  when  the  last  French  and 
Indian  war  broke  out  (1754),  they  even  induced  four 
of  the  tribes  to  go  over  to  the  French  and  take  an 
active  part  against  the  British  colonists.  Before,  how 
ever,  this  war  had  terminated  in  the  total  defeat  of  the 
French,  the  Indians  had  returned  and  renewed  their 
alliance  with  the  English. 


17 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


QUEEN  ANNE'S   WAR, 


ECURITY  seemed  at  the 
close  of  King  William's 
War  to  be  assured  to  the 
people  long  unaccustomed 
to  it.  But  peace,  now  ap 
parently  restored  to  the 
colonies  by  the  treaty  of 
Ryswick,  conferred  her 
blessings  but  for  a  short 
season.  The  recognition 
of  the  Pretender's  claims 
to  the  British  crown  by  the  French  court,  forthwith 
led  to  a  declaration  of  war  by  Queen  Anne,  in  May, 
1702.  Villebon,  the  governor  of  Canada,  began  to 
make  encroachments  on  the  English  territory;  their 
fishery  was  interrupted  by  French  ships  of  war ;  and 
a  French  mission  was  established  at  Norridgwog,  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  Kennebeck.  The  influence  oi 
the  French  was  by  this  means  extended  over  the  In 
dians ;  and  the  governor  of  Canada  instigated  them  to 
prevent  the  English  from  settling  east  of  the  Kennebeck 
Dudley,  who  was  now  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
had  received  orders  to  rebuild  the  fort  at  Pemaquid;  but 
could  not  prevail  on  the  assembly  to  bear  the  expense 
of  it.  He,  however,  determined  to  visit  Maine ;  and 
taking  several  gentlemen  with  him,  held  a  conference 
at  Casco,  with  delegates  from  nearly  all  the  surround 
ing  tribes,  June  20th,  1703.  They  there  concluded  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  the  customary  formalities ;  and 
the  Indians  assured  them  that  their  union  should  be  as 

(174) 


BORDER  WAR  IN  MAINE.  175 

firm  as  a  mountain,  and  should  continue  as  long  as  the 
sun  and  moon.  Notwithstanding  these  protestations, 
they  made  an  attack  a  few  weeks  after  upon  all  the 
settlements  from  Casco  to  Wells,  and  killed  and  took 
one  hundred  and  thirty  persons,  burning  and  destroy 
ing  all  before  them. 

A  week  after,  August  17th,  1703,  a  party  of  Indians 
killed  five  people  at  Hampton  village ;  they  also  plun 
dered  two  houses ;  but  the  country  being  now  alarmed, 
they  fled  without  doing  any  further  injury.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  Colonel  March,  of  Casco,  killed  six 
of  the  enemy,  and  took  six  more  prisoners ;  this  en 
couraged  the  government  to  offer  a  bounty  of  forty 
pounds  for  scalps. 

During  winter,  hostilities  were  suspended,  but  they 
commenced  with  the  return  of  spring.  In  May,  Colo 
nel  Church,  having  planned  an  expedition  to  the  eastern 
shore,  sailed  from  Boston  with  several  small  boats,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascending  rivers.  In  this  expedition  he 
destroyed  the  towns  of  Minas  and  Chignecto ;  and  did 
considerable  damage  to  the  French  and  Indians  at  Pen- 
obscot  and  Passamaquoddy. 

In  the  winter,  Colonel  Hilton,  with  two  hundred  and 
seventy  men,  proceeded  to  Norridgwog;  but,  on  ar 
riving  there,  they  found  no  enemy  to  contend  with ; 
and  therefore  burnt  the  deserted  wigwams  and  the 
chapel. 

The  governor  of  Canada  encouraged  the  Indians 
who  inhabited  the  borders  of  New  England  to  remove 
to  Canada,  which  they  did,  and  have  ever  since  re 
mained  there.  By  this  policy  they  became  more  firmly 
attached  to  the  French  interests.  Dudley,  who  kept  a 
vigilant  eye  upon  them,  apprehended  a  rupture  in  the 
winter,  and,  therefore,  made  preparations  to  receive 
them.  But  they  did  not  appear  till  April,  1706  ;  when 
a  small  party  attacked  a  house  on  Oyster  river,  where 
they  killed  eight  and  wounded  two. 

In  July,  Colonel  Schuyler,  from  Albany,  informed 
Dudley  that  two  hundred  and  seventy  of  the  enemy 
were  on  their  march  toward  Piscataqua.  He  imme 


176  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

V 

diately  informed  the  people  of  it,  ordered  them  to  close 
garrison,  and  one  half  of  the  militia  to  be  ready  at  a 
moment's  warning.  The  first  appearance  of  the  enemy 
was  at  Dunstable.  Major  Hilton,  with  sixty-four  men, 
marched  forward  to  meet  them,  but  was  obliged  to  re 
turn  without  accomplishing  his  object.  The  enemy 
had  determined  to  destroy  Hilton  on  account  of  his 
bravery  and  activity ;  for  this  purpose  a  small  party 
continually  hovered  around  his  house ;  and  seeing  seve 
ral  men  advance  out  of  the  house  with  scythes  on  theii 
shoulders  for  the  purpose  of  mowing,  they  attacked 
them,  killed  four,  wounded  one,  and  took  three  prison 
ers.  The  major,  however,  escaped. 

In  the  winter  of  1707,  Hilton  ma.de  another  excur 
sion  eastward.  In  this  expedition  they  killed  twenty- 
one  men,  and  took  two  prisoners.  This  was  considered 
a  great  triumph,  since  it  was  so  difficult  to  come  to  the 
haunts  of  the  Indians. 

It  was  now  the  intention  of  Governor  Dudley  to 
make  an  attack  on  Port  Royal.  Early  in  the  spring  he 
applied  to  the  colonies  of  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut 
for  one  thousand  men  for  his  expedition.  The  number 
was  soon  raised,  and  divided  into  two  regiments,  one 
of  which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Wainwright,  and 
the,  other  by  Colonel  Hilton.  The  chief  commander 
was  Colonel  March.  They  embarked,  and  in  a  few 
days  arrived  before  Port  Royal.  They  burned  several 
houses,  killed  some  cattle,  and  made  an  attempt  to  bom 
bard  the  fort ;  but  a  disagreement  arising  between  the 
officers,  the  army  broke  up,  and  re-embarked  in  a  dis 
orderly  manner.  Some  of  the  officers  went  to  Boston 
for  orders,  and  some  of  the  vessels  put  in  at  Casco.  A 
sloop  containing  Captain  Chesley's  company  arrived  at 
Portsmouth ;  he  allowed  his  men  to  go  on  shore,  order 
ing  them  to  return  at  the  beat  of  the  drum.  Being 
called  to  account  for  this  conduct,  he  alleged  that  orders 
had  been  given  at  Port  Royal  for  every  man  to  make 
the  best  of  his  way  home.  The  governor  was  in  a 
great  rage  on  hearing  this,  and  ordered  that  if  any  more 
vessels  should  come  on  the  coast  the  men  should  not  be 


HAVERUILL  SURPRISED.  Page  177 


ATTACK  ON  HAVERHILL.  177 

permitted  to  land  under  pain  of  death.  In  a  short  time 
he  ordered  Chesley's  company  to  be  re-embarked,  offer 
ing  a  pardon  to  those  who  returned,  and  threatening 
those  who  would  not  return  with  a  severe  punishment. 
By  the  latter  end  of  July  they  got  on  board,  and  with 
the  rest  of  the  army  proceeded  to  the  place  of  action. 
On  landing,  they  were  greatly  annoyed  by  an  ambus 
cade  of  Indians.  Major  Walton,  with  the  New  Hamp 
shire  companies,  attacked  and  soon  put  them  to  flight. 
The  command  of  the  army  was  now  given  to  Wain- 
wright.  By  the  last  of  August  the  whole  affair  was 
terminated  ;  and  the  army  returned  sickly,  disheartened, 
and  ashamed,  having  lost  sixteen  killed  and  as  many 
wounded. 

In  September,  a  party  of  French  Mohawks,  painted 
red,  attacked  a  company  of  English  who  were  in  the 
woods  hewing  timber,  near  Oyster  river.  At  the  first 
fire  they  killed  seven  and  mortally  wounded  another. 
Chesley,  the  commander  of  the  English,  with  a  few 
others,  kept  the  enemy  in  check  for  some  time ;  but 
being  overpowered  by  numbers,  he  at  length  fell.  He 
was  much  lamented  by  his  companions,  being  at  that 
time  one  of  their  bravest  officers. 

In  1708  a  large  army  was  prepared  in  Canada  to 
make  an  attack  on  the  frontiers  of  New  England. 
Dudley,  receiving  information  of  this,  immediately 
made  great  preparations  for  defence.  Spy  boats  were 
kept  out  at  sea  between  Piscataqua  and  Winter  har 
bours.  Four  hundred  Massachusetts  soldiers  were  also 
posted  in  this  province.  At  length  the  storm  fell  on 
Haverhill ;  but  the  enemy's  force  being  diminished  by 
various  accidents,  they  proceeded  no  further;  and  every 
part,  of  New  Hampshire  was  in  a  short  time  again 
quiet. 

The  principal  object  of  the  colonies  was  now  to 
wipe  away  the  disgrace  they  had  brought  on  themselves 
the  last  year  by  their  fruitless  attempt  on  Port  Royal, 
by  an  attempt  to  conquer  Canada  itself.  For  this  pur 
pose  solicitations  had  been  made  in  England.  These 
were  successful ;  an  expedition  was  determined  on,  and 

M 


178  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

orders  were  sent  to  the  governors  of  the  several  pro 
vinces  to  raise  men  for  the  service.  After  mucn  trouble 
the  troops  were  raised  and  all  ready  to  proceed,  when 
news  arrived  that  the  fleet  promised  by  the  queen  was 
destined  to  another  quarter.  But  in  July,  1710,  the 
British  ministry  sent  out  five  frigates  for  the  purpose  of 
reducing  Port  Royal.  Troops  were  raised  in  the  colo 
nies  to  assist  in  the  expedition,  and  the  whole  arma 
ment  sallied  from  Boston  on  the  18th  of  September, 
1710.  On  the  24th  they  arrived  before  the  place,  and 
after  a  few  shots  were  fired  it  was  surrendered.  Its 
name  was  changed,  in  honour  of  the  queen,  from  Port 
Royal  to  Annapolis. 

After  the  reduction  of  Port  Royal,  Nicholson,  the 
commander  of  the  expedition,  went  to  England  to  so 
licit  an  expedition  against  Canada.  He  was  successful; 
and  on  the  8th  of  June,  1711,  Nicholson  came  to  Bos 
ton  with  orders  for  the  northern  colonies  to  get  ready 
their  quotas  of  men  and  provisions  by  the  arrival  of  the 
fleet  and  army  from  Europe,  which  happened  within 
sixteen  days.  This  army  consisted  of  seven  veteran 
regiments  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough's  army,  and  a 
battalion  of  marines  under  the  command  of  Brigadier 
General  Hill,  which,  joined  with  the  New  England 
troops,  made  a  body  of  about  six  thousand  five  hundred 
men,  provided  with  a  fine  train  of  artillery.  The  fleet 
consisted  of  fifteen  ships  of  war,  of  from  eighty  to  thirty- 
six  guns,  with  forty  transports,  and  six  store-ships,  under 
the  command  of  Admiral  Walker. . 

The  fleet  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  30th  of  July ; 
but  the  sanguine  hopes  of  success  entertained  by  the 
colonies  were  blasted  in  one  night ;  for  the  fleet  having 
arrived  near  the  river  St.  Lawrence  in  the  night  of  the 
23d  of  August,  eight  of  the  vessels  were  wrecked  on 
Egg  Island,  and  one  thousand  men  perished.  After 
holding  a  consultation,  the  expedition  was  broken  up, 
the  fleet  returned  to  England,  and  the  New  England 
troops  to  their  homes. 

1712.  The  Indians  now  began  to  commit  more  ra 
vages  than  ever ;  but  happily  news  of  the  treaty  of 


LOSSES  BY  THE  WAR.  179 

Utrecht  arrived  at  this  time,  and  the  Indians,  restrained 
by  the  French,  committed  no  further  ravages.  They 
shortly  after  made  a  treaty  of  peace  with  governor 
Dudley,  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

This  war  had  burdened  New  England  and  New  York 
with  debt.  None  of  the  provinces,  however,  suffered 
from  it  so  severely  as  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp 
shire.  Twenty-five  years  was  the  term  usually  required 
for  doubling  the  population  of  the  North  American  colo 
nies  by  the  mere  progress  of  native  increase.  But 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  and  the  earlier 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  principle  of  increase 
was  less  efficient  in  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire 
than  in  any  of  the  other  colonies ;  and  in  the  year  1713, 
Massachusetts  did  not  contain  double  the  number  of 
inhabitants  that  it  contained  fifty  years  before.  The 
heavy  taxes  that  prevailed  during  that  period,  doubtless 
induced  some  of  the  inhabitants  to  emigrate  to  other 
provinces ;  but  the  actual  carnage  of  the  war  appears 
chiefly  to  have  contributed  to  repress  the  increase  of 
population.  From  the  year  1675,  when  Philip's  war 
began,  till  the  close  of  Queen  Anne's  war  in  1713, 
about  six  thousand  of  the  youth  of  the  country  had 
perished  by  the  stroke  of  the  enemy  or  by  diseases 
contracted  in  military  service.  From  the  frequency 
and  fertility  of  marriage  in  New  England,  nine  tenths 
of  these  men,  if  they  had  been  spared  to  their  country, 
would  have  become  fathers  of  families,  and  in  the 
course  of  forty  years  have  multiplied  to  an  hundred 
thousand  souls. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
LOVEWELL'S    WAR. 

INDURING  causes  of  hos- 

tility  between  the  New 
England  colonies  and 
their  savage  enemies  still 
remained.  The  situation 
of  the  eastern  Indians 
prevented  them  from  re 
maining  quiet  any  length 
of  time.  The  French  on 
the  one  side  treated  them 
as  an  independent  nation  ; 
the  English  on  the  other  called  them  subjects  of  their 
king,  on  account  of  the  patents  giving  the  lands  to  his 
people.  The  English  had  purchased  the  land  of  the 
Indians,  sometimes  giving  not  one-fourth  of  their  worth ; 
at  others,  paying  amply  for  them.  But  notwithstanding 
their  just  claims  to  them,  the  Indians,  instigated  by  the 
French,  found  various  pretences  for  evading  them.  The 
New  England  colonies  being  desirous  to  avoid  a  war, 
held  several  conferences  with  them  in  1717,  but  with 
no  satisfactory  result.  Governor  Shute  met  a  large 
number  of  chiefs  at  Orrorosic,  and  offered  them  an 
Indian  bible  and  a  missionary.  This  was  rejected; 
nothing  would  satisfy  them  but  a  settlement  of  the 
boundaries,  which  the  governor  refused ;  and  this  re 
fusal  may  be  considered  as  the  principal  cause  of  the 
war  in  which  the  two  parties  were  shortly  after  in 
volved.  At  the  head  of  the  Jesuits  who  were  among 
these  tribes,  was  one  Sebastian  Ralle,  a  Frenchman. 
He  made  use  of  every  opportunity  to  excite  the  sa- 

(180) 


RENEWAL  OF  THE  WAR.  18l 

chems  against  the  English,  and  at  length  succeeded,  as 
we  shall  see.  The  government  of  Massachusetts  saw 
his  influence,  and  dispatched  Colonel  Westbrooke  to 
Norridgwog  to  take  him ;  but  he  escaped,  leaving  his 
papers,  which  were  taken  to  the  governor. 

(1722.)  The  Indians,  upon  this  new  aggression,  com 
menced  hostilities.  They  first  made  an  attack  upon 
Fort  George,  but  were  foiled  by  the  spirited  defence. 
Furious  at  this  disappointment,  they  attacked  and  took 
the  town  of  Brunswick,  which  was  soon  after  de 
stroyed. 

Massachusetts  now  found  it  necessary  to  make  a  de 
claration  of  war.  This  was  published  simultaneously 
at  Boston  and  Portsmouth.  The  vigilance  of  the  border 
garrisons  was  only  exceeded  by  that  of  Lieutenant- 
governor  Wentworth,  who  spent  the  most  of  his  time 
in  visiting  the  garrisons  and  cheering  the  soldiers.  The 
assembly  offered  a  reward  of  £100  for  every  Indian 
scalp  which  should  be  presented  to  any  magistrate. 
The  first  place  that  was  visited  by  the  savages  in  New 
Hampshire  was  Dover,  where  they  killed  one  Joseph 
Ham,  with  three  of  his  children;  the  remainder  es 
caping  to  the  fort. 

In  the  spring  of  1724,  Kingston  was  surprised  by 
the  Indians.  They  took  four  persons,  one  of.  whom,  a 
Peter  Colcord,  escaped  and  returned  to  Kingston,  where 
he  was  rewarded  by  the  assembly,  for  his  ingenuity  and 
the  information  which  he  communicated  to  them  con 
cerning  the  Indians. 

At  Oyster  Bay,  Moses  Davis,  with  his  son,  going  to 
their  work  in  the  fields  not  far  distant  from  the  village, 
discovered  several  bundles  belonging  to  the  Indians, 
lying  on  the  banks  of  a  brook.  Supposing  that  the 
owners  must  be  near,  they  started  for  the  village,  where 
Abraham  Renwick,  with  a  company  of  volunteers,  was 
stationed.  Davis  reported  to  him  what  he  had  seen, 
and  offered  to  guide  him  to  the  spot.  They  accordingly 
started,  with  Davis  and  his  son  in  the  advance.  When 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  place,  a  fire  from  the 
Indians,  who  lay  in  ambush,  killed  Davis  and  his  son 


182  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  English  returned  the  fire,  killing  one  and  wound 
ing  two;  the  remainder  of  the  party  fled.  The  ona 
slain  was  apparently  a  chief,  for  he  was  dressed  in  the 
richest  manner,  wearing  a  coronet  of  fur,  to  which 
was  attached  some  small  bells  to  show  his  followers 
his  path  when  leading  them  through  a  thicket.  The 
scalp  was  presented  to  government,  who  gave  the  re 
ward  to  Captain  Matthews,  for  the  company. 

Among  the  Quakers  who  dwelt  at  Dover,  was  John 
Hanson,  who,  like  his  brethren,  refused  to  make  any 
efforts  for  the  defence  of  his  family  in  case  of  an  attack* 
A  party  of  Mohawks  seeing  this  negligence,  concealed 
themselves  in  the  woods  about  his  house  waiting  for  a 
good  opportunity  to  assault  it.  One  soon  offered  itself; 
Hanson,  having  gone  to  meeting  with  his  oldest  daugh 
ter,  left  two  sons  at  work  at  a  good  distance  from  his 
house.  The  Indians  immediately  entered  the  house, 
killed  two  small  babes,  and  took  his  wife,  and  a  child 
fourteen  days  old,  the  nurse,  and  a  son  and  two  daugh 
ters.  These  were  carried  to  Canada  and  sold,  but 
were  all  redeemed  by  their  father*  except  one  daughter, 
who  married  a  Frenchman. 

During  these  incursions,  the  colonists  were  not  idle. 
Two  officers,  Captains  Harman  and  Moulton,  were  ap 
pointed  by  the  governments  of  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire  to  conduct  an  expedition  against  Norridg- 
wog.  This  was  executed  with  so  much  secresy  and 
success,  that  Ralle,  the  Jesuit,  with  eighty  Indians  were 
slain ;  and  the  plate  and  furniture  of  the  chapel,  together 
with  the  sacred  banner,  on  which  was  painted  a  cross 
surrounded  with  bows  and  arrows,  were  all  carried 
home  as  trophies.  The  effect  of  this  expedition  on  the 
Indians  was  to  intimidate  them  ;  so  much  so,  that  when 
volunteer  companies  visited  their  villages  for  scalps 
they  found  them  all  deserted. 

Captain  John  Lovewell,  of  Dunstable,  raised  a  volun 
teer  company  and  met  with  great  success.  At  one  time 
he  fell  in  with  an  Indian  trail  and  pursued  it  till  he  dis 
covered  them  asleep  on  the  bank  of  a  pond.  They 
were  all  killed,  and  their  scalps,  stretched  upon  hoops, 


INDIANS  TAKING  PRISONERS. 


Page  183 


LOVEWELL'S  DEATH.  183 

served  to  decorate  their  triumphal  return.  They,  of 
course,  received  the  bounty,  which  amounted  to  ten 
pounds. 

(1725.)  Lovewell,  having  augmented  his  company 
to  46  men,  again  set  out  with  the  intention  of  attacking 
an  Indian  town  on  the  Saco.  They  built  a  fort  on  the 
Great  Ossapy  pond,  and  then  proceeded,  leaving  one  of 
their  number  sick,  and  eight  men  to  guard  the  fort. 

When  about  22  miles  from  the  fort  they  rested  on  the 
banks  of  a  pond,  where  they  discovered  a  single  Indian 
at  a  distance,  on  a  point  of  land,  and  rightly  judging 
that  he  was  attached  to  a  large  party  of  Indians,  Love- 
well  determined  to  advance  and  attack  them.  Accord 
ingly  the  whole  company  threw  off  their  packs  in  one 
place  among  the  brakes ;  and,  to  gain  the  advantage, 
the  men  were  spread  so  as  partially  to  surround  the  wa 
ter.  Lovewell  had,  however,  mistaken  the  position  of 
the  Indians,  who  were  already  on  his  track,  and  coming 
to  the  place  where  the  packs  were  deposited,  by  count 
ing  them  discovered  the  number  of  English  to  be  less 
than  their  own.  They,  therefore,  marched  to  assault 
the  English  in  the  rear,  and  actually  hemmed  them  in 
between  the  mouth  of  a  brook,  a  rocky  point,  a  deep 
bog,  and  the  pond.  The  company,  completely  sur 
rounded,  fought  desperately  till  nightfall,  when  the  In 
dians,  tired  of  the  conflict,  moved  off.  The  number  of 
killed  and  wounded  amounted  to  23,  Lovewell  being 
among  the  former.  The  remainder  of  the  party  re 
turned  to  the  fort  which  had  been  deserted,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  arrival  of  one  of  Lovewell's  men  who 
fled  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight,  and  reported  all  the 
rest  killed.  After  resting,  they  started  for  home,  \vhere 
they  arrived,  to  the  great  joy  of  their  friends,  after  en 
during  the  severest  hardships.  The  survivors  were  lib 
erally  compensated,  and  the  widows  and  families  of  the 
slain  were  provided  for  by  the  government  of  the  pro 
vince. 

In  the  same  year,  with  the  battle  just  mentioned, 
three  commissioners  were  dispatched  from  Massachu 
setts  and  New  Hampshire  to  present  a  remonstrance  to 
18 


184  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  governor  of  Canada.  The  governor,  at  first,  denied 
all  connexion  with  the  Indians ;  but  when  the  letters  to 
Ralle  were  produced,  he  promised  to  endeavour  to  pa 
cify  them.  The  commissioners  had  an  interview  with 
the  hostile  chiefs,  but  came  to  no  accommodation  with 
them,  for  their  powers  did  not  extend  so  far.  The  depu 
tation  returned  and  made  their  report,  which  deter 
mined  the  states  to  carry  on  the  war  with  more  spirit. 
Every  provision  that  could  be  was  made  for  defence. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  Indians  repeated  their  attacks  on 
Dover,  where  they  took  three  or  four  prisoners.  John 
Evans  was  wounded,  and  the  blood  flowing  very  plen 
tifully,  the  Indians  scalped  him,  and  left  him  as  dead. 
But  he  was  in  perfect  possession  of  his  faculties  all  the 
time  the  cruel  operation  of  scalping  was  performed,  and 
lived  afterwards  fifty  years.  This  was  the  last  action  in 
the  war,  a  treaty  having  been  ratified  at  Boston. 

The  chief  calamities  and  expenses  of  this  war  fell 
upon  New  Hampshire.  The  hatred  existing  between 
the  Indians  and  English  was  continually  fanned  by  the 
former,  who  would  often  boast  to  the  latter  how  many 
they  had  slain  or  tortured,  naming  among  the  victims, 
very  often,  members  of  the  family  to  which  they  were 
telling  their  adventures. 


CHAPTER  X. 


LAST  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR. 


(1754  to  1759.) 


,N  forming  their  first  set 
tlements  in  Louisiana,  the 
French  endeavoured  to 
connect  their  possessions 
in  that  region  with  those 
of  Canada,  by  a  chain  of 
intermediate  posts.  Fort 
Niagara  had  been  erected 
between  Lakes  Erie  and 
Ontario,  and  Crown  Point, 
on  the  south-west  of  Lake 
Champlain.  This  state  of  things  was  preserved  by  the 
treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  1748;  and  the  French, 
wishing  to  make  the  communication  between  the  lakes 
and  the  Mississippi  more  certain,  erected  new  forts 
along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  that  they  might  prevent 
any  other  European  colony  from  forming  an  establish 
ment  there.  The  planters  of  Virginia  now  began  to 
cast  their  eyes  upon  this  country;  the  cultivation  of 
tobacco  quickly  exhausted  the  land,  and  they  proceeded 
gradually,  farther  and  farther  into  the  country,  that 
they  might  have  a  richer  soil  to  cultivate.  The  in 
crease  of  their  productions  encouraged  them  to  pursue 
their  labours ;  and  when  a  large  number  of  them  had 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  Alleghanies,  they  endeavoured 
to  cross  them,  and  settle  on  their  western  side.  In 
London  there  was  formed,  in  1749,  an  association 

(185) 


186  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

which  was  established  under  the  name  of  the  Ohio 
Company :  the  British  government  granted  it  six  hun 
dred  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  a  superintendent  was 
sent,  in  1751,  to  choose  the  site  of  this  grant,  and  to 
establish  commercial  relations  with  the  Indians.  But 
when  the  governor  of  Canada  heard  of  this,  he  gave 
notice  to  the  English  colonies  to  recall  the  merchants 
and  planters  who  had  settled  on  this  territory,  and  de 
clared  that  he  would  seize  on  the  persons  of  those  who 
refused  to  retire. 

The  English  did  not  yield  to  this  command,  and  the 
governor  of  Virginia  sent,  in  1753,  a  message  to  the 
commander  of  the  forts  on  the  Ohio,  requesting  him  to 
withdraw ;  but  the  commander  replied  that  he  received 
no  orders  but  from  his  most  Christian  Majesty  or  the 
governor  of  Canada ;  that  the  country  belonged  to  the 
French,  and  that  no  Englishman  should  be  allowed  to 
settle  upon  it.  It  was  necessary  to  sustain  so  positive 
a  declaration  with  energy,  and  Fort  du  Quesne  was 
immediately  constructed  at  the  confluence  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  and  Monongahela,  where  the  waters  of  these 
two  rivers  unite  and  form  the  Ohio.  The  discontent 
increased  on  both  sides ;  complaints  multiplied,  and 
finally  hostilities  broke  out,  which  changed  the  political 
situation  of  this  part  of  the  New  World. 

The  English,  in  this  struggle,  had  a  decided  supe 
riority  in  numbers ;  in  the  colonies  there  were  twenty 
times  as  many  inhabitants  as  in  Canada  and  Louisiana. 
To  balance  this,  the  French  had  recourse  to  the  Indian 
nations ;  their  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  savages 
was  skilfully  increased  by  means  of  their  missionaries ; 
they  had  acquired  over  some  tribes  in  Louisiana  the 
same  ascendency  as  in  Canada,  and  they  formed  of 
them  useful  auxiliaries.  But  the  minds  of  the  Indians 
were  so  wavering  that  they  could  /*ot  be  counted  on 
for  continued  and  vigorous  assistance. 

When  hostilities  first  commenced,  the  colonies  peti 
tioned  England  for  aid.  Little  intercourse  at  that  time 
prevailed  between  them  :  they  were  all  independent  of 
one  another ;  and  as  the  mother  country  had  not  re- 


CAMP  OF  FRENCH  AND  INDIANS.  Page  186. 


r  DU 


EXPEDITION  AGAINST  FORT  DU  QUESNE.  187 

served  the  same  rights  over  all  of  them,  she  could  not 
enjoy  an  equal  influence  in  their  deliberations,  nor  com 
pel  them  to  divide  among  themselves,  in  a  manner  pro 
portioned  to  their  resources,  all  the  charges  of  the 
common  defence.  The  colonies  which  were  nearest 
the  disputed  territory  were  first  engaged  in  the  quarrel 
which  soon  became  genera). 

An  expedition  was  prepared  against  Port  du  Quesne, 
and  the  English  first  established  a  small  fort  some 
leagues  from  that  place;  but  ip  the  month  of  April, 
1754,  the  French  commander  marched  to  the  post,  at 
the  head  of  a  detachment,  and  ordered  them  to  depart. 
As  they  were  very  inferior  in  numbers,  they  obeyed 
his  orders,  and  abandoned  their  works,  which  were 
immediately  destroyed. 

This  retreat  was  but  momentary,  and  the  English 
fejl  back  upon  new  troops  whom  they  had  expected. 
A  regiment  raised  in  Virginia,  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Frye,  was  proceeding  at  the  same 
time,  towards  the  banks  of  the  JVfonongahela :  George 
Washington,  then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  was  lieu 
tenant-colonel  of  the  regiment,  to  which  several  bodies 
of  Indians  were  attached.  He  did  not  wait  the  com 
plete  formation  of  this  corps  to  proceed  to  the  theatre 
of  military  operations ;  he  conducted  the  recruits  first 
raised  to  the  Great  Meadows,  where  he  commenced 
the  construction  of  Fort  Necessity;  and,  with  two 
companies  of  soldiers  and  a  body  of  Indians,  he  ap 
proached  Fort  du  Quesne,  that  he  might  discover  the 
best  way  in  which  the  troops  could  reach  it.  Arrived 
within  some  leagues  of  the  fort,  he  met  a  French  de 
tachment  of  twenty  or  thirty  men,  who  received  at 
first  from  the  English  two  discharges  of  musketry. 
Inmonville,  the  commander  of  the  detachment,  endea 
voured  to  make  it  understood  that  he  had  a  commission 
for  the  English  commander;  but  before  he  could  make 
this  known  he  was  killed  by  a  musket-ball ;  his  troops 
were  surrounded,  and  all  were  taken  prisoners  except 
one,  who  made  his  escape  and  carried  the  news  to 
Fort  du  Quesne. 


188  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

After  this  event,  Washington  returned  to  Fort 
Necessity,  taking  with  him  his  prisoners,  who  were 
afterwards  sent  to  Virginia;  and  whilst  they  were 
continuing  to  fortify  this  post,  where  the  English 
were  receiving  new  troops,  the  French  resolved  to 
attack  them.  A  body  of  five  hundred  regular  troops 
with  a  great  number  of  Indians,  was  charged  with  this 
expedition,  which  set  out  June  28th,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Captain  Villiers,  brother  of  Inmonville. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  they  arrived  before  Fort  Neces 
sity  and  immediately  began  the  attack.  A  continual 
fire  was  kept  up ;  this  lasted  till  evening ;  the  English 
had  already  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty  men ;  and  Vil 
liers,  wishing  to  spare  a  farther  effusion  of  blood,  sum 
moned  them  to  surrender  under  articles  of  capitulation. 
The  conditions  were  signed  in  the  night ;  and  Wash 
ington  having  become  commander  of  the  fort  in  con 
sequence  of  the  death  of  Colonel  Frye,  retired  from  the 
place  with  the  honours  of  war.  The  English  engaged 
on  their  part  to  send  immediately  to  Fort  du  Quesne 
the  prisoners  whom  they  had  formerly  taken. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1755,  General  Braddock 
arrived  in  Virginia  and  took  command  of  the  army. 
He  established  nis  head-quarters  at  Alexandria,  where 
he  assembled  his  troops,  and  on  the  18th  of  April  con 
voked  a  congress  of  the  different  colonies,  to  concert 
with  them  the  system  of  operation  for  the  ensuing  cam 
paign.  It  was  then  determined  to  form  three  expeditions, 
one  near  the  boundaries  of  Acadia,  another  near  Lake 
Champlain,  and  a  third  near  Lake  Ontario,  whilst  Brad- 
dock  himself  should  march  to  the  Ohio  and  take  Fort  du 
Quesne.  He  had  under  his  command  three  thousand 
troops,  consisting  of  regulars  and  militia,  besides  a  small 
body  of  Indians,  and  marched  forward  till  he  arrived  at 
the  Great  Meadows,  where  he  made  a  fortified  camp, 
and  left  Colonel  Dunbar  there  with  eight  hundred  men. 
He  himself  proceeded  with  the  main  body-till  he  arrived 
within  seven  miles  of  the  fort.  Braddock  was  a  very  able 
general,  but  he  had  never  before  served  in  America,  and 
was  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  Indian  mode  of  fighting. 


(190) 


BRADDOCK'S  DEFEAT.  l()l 

Captain  Contracceur,  commander  of  Fort  du  Quesne, 
learned,  on  the  8th  of  July,  that  the  English  were  ap 
proaching;  he  had  but  few  men  under  his  command, 
but  he  placed  all  the  troops  he  could  dispose  of  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Beaujeu.  They  left  the  fort 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  met  the  English 
about  mid-day.  They  immediately  began  the  attack, 
whilst  their  Indian  auxiliaries  sought  to  surround  the 
English  by  spreading  from  right  to  left  in  the  thick  for 
est.  Braddock,  instead  of  sending  out  an  advanced 
guard  to  scour  the  thickets,  bore  down  with  his  whole 
force  against  the  enemy  who  were  before  him.  Beau 
jeu  was  killed  at  the  third  discharge,  and  Captain  Du 
mas  took  the  command.  The  Indians,  concealed  in  the 
woods,  shot  down  the  English  while  they  themselves  were 
invisible;  and  the  ranks  of  Braddock's  army  were  so  thin 
ned  in  a  short  time  that  they  ceased  to  resist,  and  began  to 
fly ;  most  of  the  officers  were  either  killed  or  wounded 
in  attempting  to  restore  order.  Braddock,  himself,  was 
mortally  wounded,  and  carried  from  the  field  of  battle, 
where  he  left  his  artillery,  and  a  third  part  of  his  sol 
diers.  (See  Engraving  on  opposite  page.)  Those  who 
survived  this  disaster,  and  could  have  rallied  round  Col 
onel  Dunbar,  only  joined  him  to  carry  confusion  into 
his  camp,  and  to  drag  him  with  them  in  their  flight; 
They  did  not  stop  till  they  reached  Virginia ;  and  the 
establishments  of  the  interior  were  thus  left  to  the  mer 
cy  of  the  Indians.  Previous  to  the  battle,  Washington, 
who  was  aid  to  Braddock,  had  warned  him  of  the  dan*, 
ger  of  a  surprise,  and  advised  him  to  send  forward 
scouts  to  prevent  it ;  but  his  advice  was  scornfully  re 
jected.  It  was  chiefly  owing  to  his  skill  and  bravery 
that  the  remnant  of  the  army  was  saved. 

The  war  in  America  now  took  different  forms.  Col 
onel  Monckton,  an  English  officer,  had  been  charged  to 
extend  towards  the  north  the  boundaries  of  Acadia, 
which  was  still  limited  to  the  peninsula  of  that  name. 
On  the  isthmus  which  separates  the  continent  from  this 
peninsula,  the  French  had  erected  two  forts,  named 
Gasparaux  and  Beausejour.  But  Great  Britain  wished 


192  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

to  possess  all  the  region  situated  between  Acadia  and 
New  England :  she  demanded  of  France  the  cession  of 
a  territory  of  twenty  leagues  in  width,  along  the  whole 
northern  shore  of  the  bay  of  Fundy ;  and,  not  being 
able  10  obtain  it  by  the  negotiations  of  commission 
ers  charged  with  the  making  of  the  limits,  Colonel 
Monckton  suddenly  attacked  Fort  Beausejour  with  three 
thousand  men.  This  fortress  sustained  the  siege  for 
fourteen  days,  and  did  not  capitulate  till  the  16th  of 
June.  The  reduction  of  this  fort  led  to  that  of  Fort 
Gasparaux,  which  had  a  garrison  of  but  forty  men ; 
and  the  English  spreading  themselves  to  the  north  of 
the  bay,  proceeded  to  attack  Fort  St.  John,  near  the 
river  of  this  name.  The  commander  having  but  a  few 
men,  burnt  the  fort,  and  retired  into  the  interior  of  the 
country  where  the  Abenaquis  (or  eastern  Indians)  had 
taken  arms,  and  from  whence  they  made  frequent  incur 
sions  into  Acadia. 

While  these  events  were  passing  in  Acadia,  a  body 
of  English  troops,  and  three  hundred  Indians  from  the 
Six  Nations,  under  the  command  of  General  William 
Johnson,  advanced  towards  Crown  Point,  but  first  de 
termined  to  attack  Fort  Ticonderoga,  then  recently 
erected  by  the  French ;  but  the  governor  of  Canada  had 
already  provided  for  its  defence,  and  the  French  wish 
ing  to  be  beforehand  with  Johnson,  first  defeated  a  de 
tachment  of  one  thousand  men,  and  on  the  8th  of  Sep 
tember,  1755  attacked  his  camp ;  but  in  this  affair  Dies- 
kau,  their  commander,  was  mortally  wounded  and  taken 
prisoner;  they  were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  seven 
hundred  men,  and  were  driven  back  upon  Fort  Ticon 
deroga.  Johnson  was  also  wounded,  and  his  loss  in 
these  two  battles,  or  his  want  of  activity,  prevented  him 
from  accomplishing  the  purposes  of  his  expedition. 

The  defeat  of  the  English  near  Fort  du  Quesne  gave 
the  advantages  of  the  war  thus  far  to  the  French.  The 
Cherokees  took  advantage  of  this  event  to  rise  up  against 
the  English.  They  were,  besides,  stimulated  to  do  this 
by  emissaries  from  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio.  But  they 
were  met  in  conference  by  Governor  Glen,  of  South 


Page  193. 


CAMPAIGN  OF  1757.  193 

Carolina,  and  renewed  their  treaties,  making  also  addi 
tional  grants  of  land. 

War  had  not  been  formally  declared  between  France 
and  England.  But  France  seizing  on  the  island  of  Mi 
norca,  Great  Britain  declared  war  on  the  17th  of  May, 
1756.  Lord  Loudoun,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
English  troops  in  America,  a  most  inefficient  officer, 
was  at  first  obliged  to  act  on  the  defensive ;  he  estab 
lished  his  head-quarters  at  Albany,  when  he  contented 
himself  with  protecting  the  threatened  territories.  New 
England  raised  a  force  of  three  thousand  men ;  New 
York  contributed  a  like  number ;  and  these,  joined  to  the 
force  of  General  Johnson,  again  prepared  to  attack  Ti- 
conderoga  and  Crown  Point.  But  during  the  prepara 
tions  for  this  expedition,  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm  at 
tacked  Fort  Oswego,  situated  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Ontario.  This  fortress  was  occupied  by  fifteen 
hundred  men;  it -surrendered  on  the  14th  of- August, 
1756,  after  having  sustained  the  siege  for  some  days. 
The  garrison  were  made  prisoners ;  and  being  merci 
lessly  abandoned  to  the  cruelties  of  the  Indians  by  the 
French,  many  of  them  were  murdered.  This  loss  hav 
ing  disconcerted  the  plan  of  operations  of  the  English, 
they  could  not,  during  the  remainder  of  the  campaign, 
accomplish  any  thing  effectual. 

Lord  Loudoun  commenced  the  campaign  of  1757  at 
the  head  of  six  thousand  troops,  raised  in  New  Eng 
land,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  with  which,  it  was 
expected,  by  the  Americans,  that  he  would  again  attempt 
the  reduction  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  But 
the  news  of  a  considerable  armament  having  been  dis 
patched  from  Britain  to  Nova  Scotia,  caused  him  to  al 
ter  his  iritention  and  unite  his  force  with  this  armament 
at  Halifax  and  attempt  the  reduction  of  Louisburg.  But 
he  discovered,  when  too  late,  that  this  place  was  garri 
soned  by  six  thousand  troops,  besides  militia,  and  de 
fended  by  seventeen  line-of-battle  ships.  He  therefore 
dis*missed  the  provincial  troops,  and  returned  to  New 
York,  there  to  learn  the  disaster  which  his  conduct  had 

19  N 


194  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

occasioned  in  another  quarter,  and  which  crowned  tho 
disgrace  of  this  inglorious  campaign. 

Montcalm,  the  French  commander,  taking  advantage 
of  Lord  Loudoun's  absence  from  the  proper  scene  of 
action,  advanced  with  an  army  of  nine  thousand  men, 
and  laid  siege  to  Fort  William  Henry,  which  was  gar 
risoned  by  nearly  three  thousand  troops,  partly  English 
and  partly  American,  and  commanded  by  an  English 
officer,  Colonel  Monroe.  The  security  of  this  import 
ant  post  was  supposed  to  be  further  promoted  by  its 
proximity  to  Fort  Edward,  fourteen  miles  distant  from 
it,  where  the  English  general,  Webb,  was  stationed  with 
four  thousand  men.  Had  Webb  done  his  duty,  Fort 
William  Henry  might  have  been  saved.  But  he  gave 
no  succour  to  the  besieged,  nor  did  he  even  endeavour 
to  aid  the  place  by  summoning  the  American  govern 
ments  to  send  militia  to  their  relief.  He  merely  wrote 
a  letter  to  Monroe,  advising  him  to  surrender.  Mont- 
calm,  on  the  other  hand,  pressed  the  assault  on  Fort 
William  Henry  with  the  utmost  vigour  and  skill.  He 
had  inspired  his  own  daring  spirit  into  the  French  sol 
diers,  and  had  roused  the  fury  and  enthusiasm  of  his 
Indian  allies  by  promises  of  revenge  and  plunder.  Af 
ter  a  spirited  resistance  of  six  days,  Monroe,  having  ex 
hausted  his  ammunition,  and  seeing  not  the  slightest 
prospect  of  relief,  was  compelled  to  surrender  the  place 
by  a  capitulation,  the  terms  of  which  were,  that  the  gar 
rison  should  not  serve  against  the  French  for  eighteen 
months ;  that  they  should  march  out  with  the  honours 
of  war ;  and,  retaining  their  private  baggage,  be  escort 
ed  to  Fort  Edward  by  the  French  troops,  as  a  security 
gainst  the  lawless  ferocity  of  the  Indians. 

This  treaty  of  capitulation  was  violated  by  Montcalm 
in  a  manner  which  fixes  eternal  disgrace  on  his  memo 
ry.  No  sooner  had  the  garrison  marched  out,  and  sur 
rendered  their  arms,  in  reliance  upon  the  pledge  of  the 
French  general,  than  a  furious  and  irresistible  attack 
was  made-upon  them  by  the  Indians,  who  stripped  them 
both  of  their  baggage* and  clothes,  and  murdered  or 
made  prisoners  of  all  who  attempted  resistance.  At 


(1%; 


CAPTURE  OP  LOUISBURG.  197 

least  fifteen  hundred  persons  were  thus  slaughtered  or 
carried  into  captivity.  Such  was  the  lot  of  eighty  men 
belonging  to  a  New  Hampshire  regiment,  of  which  the 
complement  was  but  two  hundred.  A  number  of  the 
Indian  allies  of  the  English,  who  had  formed  part  of  the 
garrison,  fared  still  more  miserably.  They  were  seized 
by  their  savage  enemies,  and  perished  in  lingering  and 
barbarous  torture.  (See  Engraving  on  the  opposite  page.) 
Of  the  garrison  of  Fort  William  Henry,  little  more  than 
half  were  enabled  to  gain  the  shelter  of  Fort  Edward, 
in  a  straggling  and  wretched  condition. 

This  disaster  roused  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut,  who  raised  and  dispatched  a  force  to 
arrest  the  further  progress  of  the  French.  But  Mont- 
calm,  content  with  this  savage  triumph,  attempted  no 
thing  further  in  that  quarter :  the  only  additional  opera 
tion  of  the  French,  for  this  season,  was  a  predatory 
excursion  in  concert  with  their  Indian  allies  against  the 
flourishing  settlement  of  German  Flats,  in  the  province 
of  New  York,  and  along  the  Mohawk  river,  which 
region  they  utterly  wasted  with  fire  and  sword. 

The  English  now  determined  to  attempt  the  conquest 
of  Cape  Breton.  Accordingly  a  fleet  under  Admiral 
Boscawen  sailed  for  this  island,  and  arrived  on  the  2d 
of  June,  1758,  in  the  bay  of  Gabon.  The  troops  were 
landed ;  their  chief  commander  was  General  Amherst, 
and  under  him  were  Brigadier-Generals  Lawrence, 
Wolf  and  Whitmore.  They  proceeded  towards  Louis- 
burg,  which  place,  after  a  severe  resistance,  capitulated : 
it  was  stipulated  that  the  garrison  should  depart  with 
the  honours  of  war,  that  the  island  of  Cape  Breton 
should  be  surrendered,  and  that  the  island  of  St.  John 
should  also  be  given  up. 

General  Abercrombie,  who  succeeded  Lord  Loudon 
in  the  command  of  the  army,  now  determined  to  pro 
ceed  against  General  Montcalm,  who  was  encamped 
near  Ticonderoga  with  three  thousand  regular  troops, 
and  twelve  hundred  Canadians  and  Indians.  They 
were  attacked  by  the  English  on  the  8th  of  July,  1758 


198  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

but  the  British  were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  two  thou 
sand  men,  killed  or  taken  prisoners. 

Notwithstanding  the  loss  which  the  English  had  sus. 
tained,  they  still  had  the  advantage  of  numbers,  and 
formed  other  enterprises.  Colonel  Bradstreet  pro 
ceeded  towards  Fort  Frontignac,  situated  on  the  east 
ern  extremity  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  on  the  27th  of 
August,  succeeded  in  making  himself  master  of  it. 
This  capture  interrupted  the  communications  of  Lower 
Canada  with  the  great  lakes ;  and  the  English  found  in 
the  arsenal  a  great  quantity  of.  arms  and  munitions  of 
war,  destined  for  the  French  troops  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  Another  expedition  was  now  directed  towards 
Fort  du  Quesne,  which  could  no  longer  receive  from 
Canada  the  assistance  which  it  previously  had  enjoyed. 
But  before  attacking  this  place  the  English  had  sought 
to  detach  the  Delawares,  Shawanese,  Mingoes,  and 
several  other  Indian  tribes  adjacent  to  the  river,  from 
their  alliance  with  the  French.  In  the  preceding  year, 
a  treaty  of  peace  had  been  concluded  at  Easton,  be 
tween  the  Pennsylvanians  and  the  Delawares;  and 
this  treaty  led  to  a  good  understanding  with  the  other 
tribes. 

A  Moravian  brother,  named  Frederick  Post,  of  Ger 
man  origin,  was  charged  with  this  important  mission. 
He  had  lived  seventeen  years  in  the  midst  of  the  Mo 
hican  Indians,  with  the  design  of  converting  them  to 
Christianity.  He  departed  from  Philadelphia  July 
15th,  1758,  and  soon  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Mon 
ongahela.  The  chief  of  the  Delaware  tribe  was  with 
him;  he  wished  that  all  the  Indians  from  the  rising 
to  the  setting  of  the  sun,  would  form  but  one  body ; 
he  desired  to  inspire  them  with  the  love  of  peace ;  and 
he  sent  messengers  to  all  the  neighbouring  tribes,  to 
invite  their  chiefs  to  assemble  with  him  around  the 
council  fire  and  smoke  together  the  pipe  of  peace. 

A  deputation  of  Shawanese  and  Mingoes  soon  joined 
him ;  they  proceeded  nearer  to  Fort  du  Quesne,  from 
which  they  were  now  no  longer  separated  except  by 
ihe  bed  of  the  river.  The  French  commander  could 


GENERAL  WOLFE.  Page  201 


THE  ENGLISH  INVADE  CANADA-  201 

not  prevent  this  interview,  although  he  feared  its  results. 
Posl  now  rose  and  explained  the  objects  of  the  meeting 
in  a  few  words,  stating  that  the  English  sought  their 
love  instead  of  hatred,  and  that  they  desired  a  peace 
with  them.  (See  Engraving  on  the  opposite  page.) 

After  having  heard  these  propositions,  the  chiefs  pro 
ceeded  to  deliberate  upon  them,  and  a  few  days  after 
they  declared  that  they  would  accede  to  the  conditions 
of  peace  already  concluded  with  the  Delawares.  Post 
having  accomplished  his  mission,  quitted  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio,  August  27th,  and  returned  to  give  an  account 
of  the  success  of  his  expedition. 

Post  afterwards  proceeded  to  the  valley  of  Beaver 
Creek,  among  the  Shawanese,  whose  territory  extended 
as  far  as  the  Scioto.  The  French  sent  messengers  to 
these  Indians  inviting  them  to  come  to  Fort  du  Quesne 
in  all  haste,  to  assist  them  against  the  English ;  but 
their  opinions  had  by  this  time  been  changed ;  they  re 
fused  to  go;  and  the  successive  abandonment  of  the 
different  tribes  took  from  the  French  all  power  of  de 
fending  the  place;  they  therefore  resolved  to  abandon 
it,  and  await  assistance  in  some  other  place.  Accord 
ingly,  on  the  25th  of  November,  they  left  the  post,  and 
a  few  days  afterwards,  General  Forbes  arrived  and 
took  possession  of  it.  The  loss  of  Fort  du  Quesne  led 
to  that  of  all  the  other  French  posts  situated  on  and  near 
the  Ohio. 

In  1759,  the  English  fitted  out  a  maritime  expedition 
against  the  French*  possessions  in  the  Antilles.  They 
landed  eight  thousand  men  on  the  16th  of  February,  on 
the  island  of  Martinico.  But  General  Beauharnais, 
governor  of  the  island,  marched  against  them  at  the 
head  of  the  troops  and  colonists,  and  compelled  them 
to  re-embark.  The  fleet  then  sailed  to  Guadaloupe. 

The  preparations  for  the  invasion  of  Canada  were 
now  nearly  completed.  A  fleet  set  out  under  the  com 
mand  of  Admiral  Saunders,  and  ten  thousand  men 
were  placed  under  the  orders  of  General  Wolf.  A 
part  of  the  army  landed,  June  29th,  1 759,  on  the  west- 


202  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ern  extremity  of  the  island  of  Orleans ;  two  other  di 
visions  afterwards  landed,  one  near  Point  Levi,  the 
other  near  Montmorency  Falls.  The  English  army 
was  thus  divided  into  three  bodies,  placed  at  the  dis 
tance  of  some  miles  from  one  another ;  and  it  was  at 
first  unknown  to  the  French  upon  what  point  the  prin 
cipal  attack  would  be  made. 

The  French  camp  charged  with  protecting  the  capi 
tal  was  established  in  the  plains  of  Beaufort,  separated 
from  Quebec  by  the  river  St.  Charles :  Montcalm  was 
commander  of  the  army ;  but  he  had  to  concert  his 
operations  with  the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil,  governor  of 
Canada,  one  of  whose  officers  was  then  in  the  camp. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  the  English  batteries  on  the 
heights  of  Lausou  began  a  destructive  fire,  and  the 
shells  they  threw  into  the  lower  city  soon  destroyed  a 
great  part  of  it.  On  the  31st  of  the  same  month  the 
English  made  an  attack  on  the  left  wing  of  the  French 
camp,  but  were  defeated.  They  now  placed  small 
detachments  in  light  vessels  which  ravaged  the  shores 
of  the  river,  and  distracted  the  attention  of  the  French, 
who  were  finally  obliged  to  send  a  detachment  of  two 
thousand  men  under  the  command  of  Bougainville  to 
protect  the  shores.  This  officer  established  his  head 
quarters  at  the  village  of  Sillery,  about  three  leagues 
from  Quebec,  and  placed  a  line  of  sentinels  along  the 
river,  so  that  the  English  could  now  make  no  attempt 
at  landing  without  being  discovered. 

General  Wolf  having  now  by  degrees  assembled  all 
his  forces  at  Point  Levi,  on  the  night  of  the  12th  of 
September,  embarked  in  vessels  and  landed  on  the  left 
side  of  the  river.  He  surprised  the  first  post  of  the 
enemy;  and  finally  succeeded  in  reaching  the  heights 
of  Abraham  without  giving  the  alarm  to  the  French. 

As  soon  as  day  broke  the  English  were  perceived  by 
their  astonished  enemy,  ranged  in  battle  order ;  and  a 
;ouncil  of  the  principal  French  officers  being  held,  it 
was  resolved  to  march  immediately  against  them. 
Accordingly,  Montcalm  proceeded  against  the  Eng 
lish  •  many  charges  were  made,  and  the  engagement 


THE  ENGLISH  CONQUER  CANADA.  203 

was  so  destructive  as  to  occasion  considerable  disorder 
in  both  armies.  The  English  had  the  advantage  of 
numbers,  and  were  ranged  in  two  lines;  so  that  if  the 
first  were  broken  they  could  rally  behind  the  second. 
But  the  French  were  drawn  out  in  a  single  line,  and 
they  were  soon  thrown  into  confusion.  Montcalm 
himself  was  mortally  wounded,  and  Seunezergue,  the 
second  in  command,  was  killed  on  the  spot.  The  Eng 
lish  now  soon  put  to  flight  the  army  which  was  desti 
tute  of  a  commander,  and  was  already  in  utter  disorder. 
General  Wolf,  the  brave  commander  of  the  English, 
was  also  killed,  so  that  both  the  generals  shared  the 
same  fate. 

Vaudreuil  now  left  Quebec  with  his  troops,  and 
authorized  Ramsay,  the  commander  of  the  city,  to  capit 
ulate  on  the  best  conditions  that  he  could  obtain.  Ac 
cordingly,  on  the  18th  of  September  articles  of  capitu 
lation  were  signed ;  the  garrison  left  the  city  with  their 
arms  and  baggage,  drums  beating,  and  embarked,  to 
be  landed  at  the  first  port  of  France.  George  Town- 
send,  becoming  commander  of  the  English  army  after 
the  death  of  General  Wolf,  took  possession  of  the  place. 

This  important  conquest  led  to  the  immediate  submis 
sion  of  Upper  Canada,  while  the  French  still  occupied 
Montreal  and  several  other  fortified  places ;  but  they 
had  lost,  in  the  beginning  of  the  siege  of  Quebec,  Ni 
agara  fort.  This  loss,  and  that  of  Fort  Frontignac, 
gave  to  the  English  the  navigation  of  Lake  Ontario, 
and  enabled  them  to  send  by  this  route  a  new  body  of 
troops  to  Montreal  and  the  neighbouring  places ;  and 
the  conquest  of  all  Canada,  and  the  consequent  expul 
sion  of  the  French  power  from  this  part  of  North 
America,  was  the  immediate  consequence. 


CHAPTER  XL 


PONTIAC'S    WAR. 


REAT  as  were  many  of 
the  western  Indian  war- 
riors,  none  was  greater 
than  Pontiac,  a  chief 
whose  fame  was  not  only 
I  spread  throughout  Amer 
ica,  but  widely  diffused 
in  Europe.  He  was  tho 
chief  of  all  the  Indians 
on  the  chain  of  lakes: 
the  Ottawas,  to  which  he 
belonged,  the  Miamis,  Chippewas,  Wyandots,  Potta- 
watomies,  Winnebagoes,  Shawanese,  Ottagamies,  and 
Mississagas,  all  of  which  tribes  afterwards  were  led 
by  Tecumseh.  Pontiac  is  said  to  have  possessed  a 
majestic  and  princely  appearance,  so  pleasing  to  the 
Indians,  and  this  in  part  accounts  for  his  popularity 
among  them. 

In  1760,  after  the  capture  of  Quebec,  Major  Rogers 
was  sent  into  the  country  of  Pontiac  to  drive  the  French 
from  it.  Being  informed  of  his  approach,  Pontiac  sent 
word  to  him  to  wait  until  he  came  to  him.  The  major 
waited,  and  when  Pontiac  came,  that  chief  asked  him 
why  he  entered  his  dominions  without  permission.  The 
major  answered  that  he  came  not  against  the  natives 
but  the  French ;  and  at  the  same  time  gave  the  chief 
several  belts  of  wampum;  whereupon  Pontiac  replied, 
"  I  stand  in  the  path  you  travel  until  to-morrow  morn 
ing."  By  this  was  meant  that  he  must  not  proceed 

(204) 


PONTIAC  TAKES  THE  BRAHDY.  Page  205. 


PONTIAC.  205 

until  the  next  morning.  Upon  an  offer  of  the  Indian, 
Major  Rogers  bought  a  large  quantity  of  parched  corn, 
and  other  provisions.  The  next  day  Pontiac  offered 
him  every  facility  for  the  undertaking.  Messengers 
were  sent  to  the  different  tribes  to  assure  them  that  the 
English  had  his  permission  to  pass  through  the  country, 
and  he  even  accompanied  the  major  and  troops  as  far 
as  Detroit.  He  was  noted  for  the  desire  of  knowledge, 
and  while  the  English  were  in  his  country,  he  was  very 
curious  in  examining  their  arms,  clothes,  &c.,  and  ex 
pressed  a  wish  to  go  to  England.  He  said  that  he 
would  allow  white  settlements  within  his  domains  ; 
and  was  willing  to  call  the  king  of  England  uncle,  but 
not  master.  He  further  told  the  soldiers  that  they 
must  behave  themselves  peaceably  while  in  his  country, 
or  he  would  stop  the  way. 

Pontiac  had  distinguished  himself  at  Detroit  and 
Michillimackinac.  When  the  French  gave  up  Canada 
(1760),  their  Indian  allies  still  preserved  their  hatred 
towards  the  English,  and  as  Pontiac  was  the  most  con 
siderable  enemy  of  that  nation,  the  adjacent  tribes  all 
came  to  him  as  a  support  against  them.  Pontiac  had 
advanced  farther  in  civilization  than  any  of  the  neigh 
bouring  chiefs :  he  appointed  a  commissary  during  the 
war  of  1763,  called  Pontiac's  war;  and  issued  bills  of 
credit,  on  each  of  which  was  pictured  the  thing  desired^ 
and  the  figure  of  an  otter,  the  symbol  of  his  tribe.  In 
1763  Major  Rogers  sent  a  bottle  of  brandy  to  him,  which 
Pontiac  was  counselled  not  to  drink,  as  it  probably  con 
tained  poison.  But  with  the  greatest  magnanimity  he 
exclaimed,  t(  It  is  not  in  his  power  to  kill  him  who  haa 
so  lately  saved  his  life." 

Early  in  1763  indications  began  to  exhibit  themselves 
of  an  unfriendly  disposition  among  the  tribes  of  Pon 
tiac  ;  and  some  persons  informed  Major  Gladwin,  who 
commanded  at  Detroit,  of  this  circumstance.  The 
commander  immediately  sent  some  soldiers  into  the 
Indian  country,  who  returned,  saying  that  all  was 
peaceable. 

About  the  same  time,  some  traders  reported  at  Fort 
20 


206  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Michillimackinac  that  the  Indians  were  preparing  for 
hostilities.  Major  Etherington,  the  commander,  re 
fused  credit  to  any  such  stories,  and  even  threatened  to 
send  the  next  person  who  retailed  such  false  reports 
prisoner  to  Detroit.  It  was  also  observed  that  the  In 
dians  began  to  assemble  in  large  numbers,  and  even 
spread  themselves  in  the  town.  This  latter  circumstance 
was  reported  to  the  major  by  one  of  his  friends,  who 
added  that  they  should  not  be  trusted.  This  advice 
was  received  with  derision,  and  he  was  accused  of 
timidity. 

On  the  king's  birth-day,  June  4th,  a  large  band  of 
Indians  collected  without  the  palisades  of  the  fort,  to 
play  ball.  This  was  played  with  a  bat,  which  knocked 
the  ball  a  great  distance ;  and  as  the  game  was  inte 
resting,  the  whole  of  the  garrison,  about  ninety  men, 
were  lookers-on.  In  the  midst  of  the  game,  the  ball 
was  intentionally  knocked  into  the  fort,  and  all  the  In 
dians  leaping  the  palisades,  took  the  guards  and  gar 
rison  prisoners,  and  thus  obtained  possession  of  Michilli 
mackinac.  Seventy  of  the  garrison  were  slaughtered, 
and  the  other  twenty  made  slaves.  A  day  or  two 
after,  a  party,  in  a  vessel  from  Montreal,  not  knowing 
of  the  capture,  came  to  the  fort  and  were  taken  by  the 
Indians.  In  this  affair,  Pontiac  did  not  engage  in  per 
son,  but  connived  at  it. 

Within  ten  days  after  this,  every  post  in  Michigan, 
except  Detroit,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Pontiac.  This 
was  closely  invested  by  Pontiac,  before  the  taking  of 
Michillimackinac.  The  garrison  consisted  of  three  hun 
dred  men.  The  Indians,  on  their  first  appearance,  had 
their  wives,  and  commodities  for  trade ;  and  from  this, 
no  suspicion  of  stratagem  was  aroused.  The  chief  en 
camped  near  the  fort,  and  sent  word  to  Major  Gladwin 
that  he  wished  to  have  a  talk  with  him,  to  brighten  the 
chain  of  peace  between  the  English  and  him.  To  this 
the  major  agreed,  and  fixed  the  ensuing  morning  for 
the  meeting.  In  the  meantime,  an  incident  occurred 
which  prevented  the  destruction  of  the  fort. 

An  Indian  woman  who  had  been  making  moccasins 


PONTI  \C'S  CO\TSPfRACY.  207 

of  elk-skin,  came  to  Major  Gladwin  with  a  pair  of 
them,  and  brought  the  remaining  skin.  The  major 
returned  the  skin  for  her  to  make  another  pair,  and 
then  dismissed  her.  When  the  time  came  for  strangers 
to  leave  the  place,  she  remained  in  the  area.  When 
questioned  as  to  her  stay,  she  would  not  answer,  and 
ner  strange  demeanour  being  reported  to  the  major, 
she  was  ordered  into  his  presence.  The  major  having 
inquired  why  she  stayed,  she  answered  with  much  hesi 
tation,  that  she  did  not  wish  to  take  away  the  skin,  as 
he  valued  it  so  much.  He  inquired  why  she  did  not 
object  to  it  before.  She  answered,  with  some  confu 
sion,  that  if  she  took  it,  she  could  never  return  it  to 
him.  Judging,  from  this,  that  the  woman  knew  of 
some  plot  of  the  Indians  for  the  capture  of  the  fort, 
he  promised  her  protection  and  reward,  if  she  would 
tell  what  was  the  matter.  Reassured,  she  informed  him 
that  each  Indian  that  would  attend  the  council  on  the 
morrow,  would  have  a  fusil  under  his  blanket,  and  when 
Pontiac  should  give  the  signal  by  handing  the  peace-belt 
of  wampum  to  the  commander,  they  would  commence 
the  attack.  While  the  council  was  sitting,  a  large  num- 
oer  of  warriors  were  to  enter  the  town  to  assist  in  the 
massacre. 

After  obtaining  all  possible  information  from  the  wo 
man,  he  discharged  her,  and  proceeded  to  make  ar 
rangements  for  a  counterplot.  He  put  the  soldiers  in 
possession  of  the  information,  and,  after  seeing  that  the 
guards  for  the  night  were  placed,  he  retired  to  his 
house. 

During  the  night,  a  strange  war-cry  sounded  from 
the  Indian  quarters.  Each  man  repaired  to  his  post, 
but  no  attack  was  made. 

At  the  hour  of  ten  next  day,  Pontiac,  with  a  number 
of  warriors,  was  admitted,  and  then  the  gates  were 
closed.  This,  and  the  number  of  soldiers  that  sur 
rounded  the  council-house,  did  riot  fail  to  attract  the 
notice  of  the  chief.  But  Major  Gladwin  told  him  that 
the  troops  were  only  drilling,  and  this  seemed  to  satisfy 
him.  The  council  opened  by  a  speech  of  Pontiac,  in 


208  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  midst  of  which  he  passed  the  belt  to  the  governor, 
but  neglected  the  signal,  for  he  saw,  from  the  half- 
drawn  swords  of  the  officers,  that  they  were  betrayed. 
With  great  presence  of  mind,  he  continued  his  speech, 
which  contained  numberless  protestations  of  eternal 
friendship  to  the  English.  When  he  concluded,  Major 
Glad  win  spoke,  and  reproached  him  with  the  con 
spiracy.  Pontiac  denied  that  any  such  plot  had  been 
contrived ;  but  when  the  governor  drew  aside  the 
blanket  of  the  chief  nearest  him,  and  disclosed  the  gun, 
the  Indian  was  silenced.  The  governor  ordered  them 
to  leave  the  fort,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  the  men  could  be  restrained  from  cutting  them  to 
pieces.  So  jealous  was  Gladwin  of  his  honour,  that  he 
retained  no  one  of  them  for  a  hostage,  but  kept  his 
word  to  let  them  go  unharmed  and  without  hindrance. 

On  the  next  day,  a  furious  attack  was  made  by  Pon- 
tiac?s  warriors  on  the  fort.  They  thrust  a  cart  full  of 
combustibles  against  the  pickets :  they  began  to  shoot 
fire-arrows  at  a  church,  but  were  stopped  by  a  French 
priest,  who  assured  the  chief  that  it  would  bring  down 
the  vengeance  of  God  upon  him.  At  length  they  com 
menced  making  a  breach  in  the  pickets,  and  the  govern 
or  ordered  his  men  to  assist  them  from  the  inside.  When 
a  passage  was  opened,  the  savages  rushed  forward ;  but 
were  almost  all  destroyed  by  a  four-pounder  which  was 
fired  among  them  as  they  entered.  The  rest  retreated ; 
and  the  place  was  repaired.  This  defeat,  however,  pre 
vented  them  from  assaulting  the  fort  any  more ;  but 
they  commenced  a  blockade  which  caused  great  distress 
in  the  garrison. 

Fo'rt  Pitt  and  Fort  Niagara  were  closely  besieged  at 
the  same  time,  which  prevented  any  succour  being  sent 
to  Detroit,  but  being  relieved  by  Colonel  Bouquet,  Cap 
tain  Dalyell  was  sent  on  the  29th  July.  A  day  or  two 
after,  Captain  Dalyell,  with  two  hundred  and  forty-sev 
en  men,  attempted  to  surprise  Pontiac  in  his  camp ;  but 
that  chief  being  apprised  by  his  runners  of  his  coming 
prepared  for  them  near  a  bridge,  where  he  concealed 
his  men  behind  a  picket  fence.  When  the  troops  came 


BATTLE  OF  DETROIT  Page  209 


SIEGE  OF  DETROIT.  209 

to  this  ambush,  they  received  a  destructive  fire  from  their 
unseen  enemy.  They  immediately  turned  and  strove 
to  repass  the  bridge,  but  this  was  not  accomplished  with 
out  great  loss.  About  two  hundred  men  regained  the 
fort  without  Captain  Dalyell,  who  was  slain  on  the 
bridge.  In  this  affair,  commonly  called  the  battle  of 
Detroit,  nineteen  men  were  killed  and  forty-two  wound 
ed  ;  among  the  latter  were  Captain  Gray  and  Lieuten 
ants  Brown  and  Luke.  The  bridge  on  which  it  was 
fought  has,  since  then,  been  called  "  Bloody  Bridge." 

Shortly  after  the  battle,  several  vessels,  bringing  pro 
visions  to  the  besieged,  were  intercepted  by  Pontiac, 
and  their  crews  were  cruelly  treated.  On  the  8th  Sep 
tember,  a  schooner  from  Fort  Niagara,  manned  with 
eighteen  men,  arrived  near  Detroit,  but  being  fired  upon 
by  the  Indians,  tacked  and  stood  out  into  the  strait.  She 
was  followed  by  the  Indians  in  their  canoes,  who,  after 
killing  almost  all  the  crew,  boarded  her  and  began  to 
ransack  the  cabin.  The  captain,  seeing  that  he  would 
be  killed  if  he  fell  into  their  hands,  resolved  to  effect 
their  destruction  with  his  own.  He  cried  out  to  the 
gunner  to  fire  the  magazine.  A  Huron,  who  understood 
English,  hearing  this,  told  his  fellows,  and  a  general  re 
treat  to  the  canoes  ensued,  and  the  schooner  sailed  up 
to  the  fort.  The  governor  was  so  grateful  for  this  de 
liverance  from  starvation,  that  he  had  silver  medals 
struck  commemorative  of  the  event,  and  presented  to 
every  one  of  the  crew. 

The  siege  of  Detroit  lasted  twelve  months,  and  by 
that  time  General  Bradstreet  marched  for  the  relief  of 
it.  Pontiac  being  informed  of  this,  sued  for  peace, 
which  was  granted,  and  he  returned  to  his  own  coun 
try.  He  was  a  good  friend  to  the  English  after  this 
war,  and  the  government  rewarded  him  with  a  pension. 
He  was  inclined,  it  is  said,  to  assist  the  Americans  in 
the  Revolution,  but  was  prevented  by  General  Hamil 
ton  of  Detroit. 

During  the  war  he  went  into  Illinois  to  an  Indian 
council  there,  and  the  English,  suspecting  him,  employ 
ed  an  Indian  as  a  spy  upon  him.  When  he  attended 
O 


210 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 


the  council  he  made  a  speech  unfriendly  to  the  English, 
and  was  stabbed  to  the  heart  by  the  treacherous  spy. 

Pontiac  was  an  uncommon  man  for  talents  and  saga 
city.  Every  war  in  wrhich  he  engaged  was  favourable 
to  his  tribes ;  and  he  never  allowed  himself  to  be  mis 
led  by  either  the  English  or  French.  He  was  as  cau 
tious  in  the  council  as  in  the  field ;  determined  and  suc 
cessful  in  his  schemes ;  and,  in  short,  was  unequalled  by 
any  Indian  chief,  unless  we  except  Philip  of  Pokano- 
ket. 


CHAPTER   XII. 
WAR   OF  THE   WESTERN  INDIANS. 

(1763.) 

ANADA,  and  all  the  de 
pendent  provinces  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  were  now 
lost  to  France;  and  the 
renunciation  of  these  pos 
sessions  entirely  changed 
the  situation  of  the  In 
dians;  those  who  dwelt 
south  of  the  great  lakes 
experienced,  above  all, 
the  effects  of  this  cession. 
The  French  had  occupied  there  but  a  few  establish 
ments;  and  they  had  formed  around  these  posts,  and 
under  their  shelter,  several  plantations,  the  addition  of 
which  was  hardly  taken  notice  of;  these  positions  offer 
ed,  in  time  of  war,  means  of  defence,  and  rallying 
points  ;  they  insured  during  peace  commercial  commu 
nications,  and  a  mutual  confidence  reigned  between 
the  French  and  a  great  many  of  the  tribes. 


INDIAN  CONFEDERACY  AGAINST  THE  ENGLISH.      211 

The  Indian  nations  placed  between  the  colonies  of 
France  and  England  enjoyed,  besides,  a  great  influence 
in  the  quarrels  of  the  two  nations ;  they  both  sought  to 
gain  their  friendship,  and  to  employ  them  as  auxiliaries. 

This  political  importance  of  the  Indians  was  materially 
diminished  when  they  had  only  one  European  power  for 
neighbours,  and  when  they  were  surrounded  by  its  pos 
sessions.  The  chain  of  fortified  posts  which  were  oc 
cupied  by  the  English,  was  composed  of  Forts  Fron- 
tignac  and  Niagara,  near  Lake  Ontario;  those  of 
Buffalo,  Presqueile,  and  Sandusky,  to  the  south  of  Lake 
Erie;  Forts  Miami  and  Detroit,  towards  its  western 
extremity ;  those  of  St.  Joseph,  Green-Bay,  and  Michil- 
limackinac,  around  Lake  Michigan ;  the  posts  of  the 
west  were  those  of  Illinois,  Chartres,  and  Kaskaskia ; 
and  in  the  interior  were  found  the  Forts  of  Vincennes, 
on  the  Wabash ;  of  Massiac,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Tennessee ;  of  William,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ken 
tucky  ;  and  of  Pittsburg,  upon  the  Ohio. 

The  Indians  on  the  territory  over  which  these  differ 
ent  posts  were  dispersed,  were  thus  suddenly  deprived  of 
the  assistance  of  a  power  which  had  habitually  protected 
them;  and  were  consequently  much  alarmed.  They  re 
garded  these  forts  as  the  cradles  of  so  many  new  colonies ; 
and  seeing  the  rapid  increase  of  the  English  in  all  the 
regions  they  had  conquered,  they  feared  that  each  of 
these  new  establishments  would  extend  in  the  same 
manner ;  and  that  all  the  American  nations  finally  crowd 
ed  upon  one  another  would  lose,  progressively,  their 
territory.  Struck  with  this  opinion,  which  so  many 
successive  losses  had  greatly  strengthened  in  their 
minds,  the  Indians  sought  to  unite,  and  prevent,  by  an 
unforeseen  attack,  the  perils  with  which  they  believed 
themselves  to  be  menaced.  The  Shawanese,  Dela- 
wares,  and  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio,  put  themselves  at 
the  head  of  this  .confederation,  which  was  formed  in 
1763;  the  operations  of  war  were  distributed  among 
all  the  tribes,  and  the  forts  occupied  by  the  English  on 
the  frontiers  of  their  new  territory  were  simultaneously 
attacked  by  the  neighbouring  Indians.  The  greater 


212  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  LNITED  STATES. 

part  of  these  posts  had  but  feeble  garrisons ;  the  recent 
conclusion  of  peace  augmented  their  security,  and  as 
they  were  not  on  their  guard,  the  success  of  the  enemy 
was  more  easy.  The  forts  of  Niagara,  Detroit,  and 
Pittsburg,  were  the  only  ones  they  did  not  seize ;  the 
garrisons  in  them  were  more  numerous,  and  they  were 
better  provisioned.  The  first  was  not  even  attacked  ; 
Major  Gladwin  gallantly  defended  the  second  against 
the  Ottawas  ;  and  Fort  Pittsburg,  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Ecuyer,  resisted  all  the  efforts  of  the  Indians  of 
the  Ohio.  A  body  of  troops,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Bouquet,  was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  this 
place  ;  he  proceeded  towards  Fort  Sigonier,  and  gain 
ed  afterwards,  by  forced  marches,  the  valley  of  Bushy- 
Run  ;  the  defiles  appeared  to  be  still  free ;  but  on  the 
5th  of  August,  1763,  the  English  were  suddenly  sur 
rounded  by  a  cloud  of  enemies,  who  rushed  down  from 
the  neighbouring  heights,  and  assailed  them  on  all  sides 
in  this  narrow  passage.  The  Indians  have  a  manner 
of  fighting  which  always  renders  them  formidable  in 
this  woody  country.  Their  skirmishes  are  frequent; 
they  know  well  how  to  form  ambuscades ;  motionless 
during  whole  days,  they  await  in  silence  the  arrival  of 
an  enemy ;  if  they  are  too  feeble  to  capture  them,  they 
only  fly  to  return  to  the  charge  at  another  point ;  their 
retreat  is  but  a  stratagem ;  they  fly  so  swiftly  that  they 
cannot  be  overtaken ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  surround 
them  on  every  side  in  order  to  conquer  them. 

In  this  sequel  of  engagements  which  began  about 
mid-day,  the  English  troops  finally  drove  the  Indians 
from  all  their  positions;  but  the  next  morning  at  day 
break,  they  were  again  surrounded  by  more  numerous 
forces.  Colonel  Bouquet  resolved  to  come  to  a  decisive 
battle ;  and  when  the  action  was  commenced,  he  ordered 
the  centre  of  the  line  to  fall  back  with  the  view  of  draw 
ing  upon  this  point  the  principal  attack  of  the  Indians. 
His  design  was  successful;  the  savages  rushed  into  the 
passage  thus  opened  to  them;  but  the  troops  who  re 
treated  hastily  proceeded  to  form  an  ambuscade  upon  a 
height,  covered  with  underwood,  where  their  move- 


INDIANS  DEFEATED  BY  THE  BRITISH.  213 

ments  could  not  be  perceived :  suddenly  they  appeared, 
and  rushed  with  impetuosity  upon  the  flanks  of  the 
enemy,  who,  surprised  and  disconcerted  by  this  unex 
pected  attack,  were  neither  able  to  sustain  the  shock, 
nor  to  gain  their  places  of  retreat.  A  great  number  of 
them  perished  in  these  two  battles  of  the  5th  and  6th 
of  August.  This  was  the  last  attempt  of  the  savages ; 
and  Colonel  Bouquet,  pursuing  his  course  towards  Pitts- 
burg,  arrived  there  four  days  afterwards  with  his  con 
voy,  of  which  he  had  been  obliged  to  destroy  a  part, 
because  a  great  number  of  the  horses  had  sunk  under 
the  fatigue  and  perils  of  the  march.  The  object  of  his 
expedition  was  accomplished ;  Pittsburg  was  relieved. 
The  Indians,  discouraged  by  two  successive  defeats, 
had  abandoned  the  siege ;  and  Colonel  Bouquet,  having 
not  enough  troops  to  pursue  them  into  their  forests,  re 
turned  to  take  up  his  winter  quarters  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  savages,  descending  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio,  did 
not  believe  themselves  in  safety  till  they  arrived  at  the 
Muskingum.  There,  they  collected  their  forces ;  they 
sought  other  allies,  and  awaited  the  spring  to' renew 
their  hostilities,  and  again  ravage  the  frontiers.  But 
General  Gage,  becoming  commander  of  the  British 
army,  prepared  two  expeditions  against  them.  A  body 
of  troops,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Bradstreet, 
proceeded  against  the  Wyandots,  Ottawas,  Chippewas, 
and  other  nations  near  the  great  lakes :  another  body, 
under  Colonel  Bouquet,  was,  as  in  the  preceding  cam 
paign,  to  attack  the  nations  situated  between  the  great 
lakes  and  the  Ohio.  Bradstreet  proceeded  rapidly  to  San- 
dusky,  and  again  took  possession  of  all  the  forts  of  the 
north-west,  that  he  might  be  able  to  restrain  the  Indians 
of  these  countries,  and  compel  them  to  demand  peace 
but  the  preparations  for  the  expedition  of  the  south  re 
quired  much  more  time,  and  the  troops  that  formed  a 
part  of  it  did  not  arrive  at  Pittsburg  till  the  17th  of 
September,  1764.  The  Indians  of  Ohio  were  then  dis 
concerted  with  their  imminent  danger,  and  they  sent 
messengers  to  Colonel  Bouquet  to  treat  for  peace;  as 
their  propositions,  however,  were  still  ambiguous,  the 


214  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

colonel,  wishing  to  put  an  end  to  their  uncertainty,  pen 
etrated  farther  into  the  interior  of  their  country ;  he 
gained  the  valleys  of  Beaver  Creek  and  Muskingum; 
and  the  Indians,  not  being  able  to  stop  his  march,  de 
manded,  on  the  17th  of  October,  a  conference  to  be 
held  next  day.  That  officer  proceeded  to  the  place  ap 
pointed  with  a  body  of  regular  troops,  the  Virginia 
volunteers,  and  a  troop  of  light-horsemen :  the  chiefs 
of  the  Delawares,  Shawanese,  and  Senecas,  appeared 
with  their  principal  warriors ;  and  the  colonel,  after 
having  recounted  the  infractions  of  their  late  treaty, 
told  them  that  he  would  not  grant  them  peace  unless 
they  would  deliver  to  him  all  the  prisoners  whom  they 
had  in  their  possession :  "  I  have  with  me,"  said  he, 
"the  relations  and  friends  of  those  whom  you  have 
captured :  they  burn  with  the  desire  of  revenge,  and 
demand  satisfaction.  The  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  and 
Wyandots,  have  already  made  a  treaty  of  peace ;  we 
are  masters  of  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi,  the  Miamis, 
and  the  lakes  ;  we  have  surrounded  you  on  every  side, 
and  could  extirpate  your  whole  nation ;  but  we  will  not 
treat  you  with  so  much  rigour,  if  you  deliver  to  us 
within  twelve  days,  and  without  exception,  all  your  pri 
soners,  English  and  French,  men,  women,  and  children, 
and  also  all  the  blacks  whom  you  have  taken  away." 

On  the  first  day,  the  Delawares  restored  eighteen 
Europeans,  and  they  collected  together,  as  a  symbol  of 
the  other  restitutions  which  they  would  make,  a  bundle 
of  eighty-three  stalks  of  young  plants,  expressing  the 
number  of  prisoners  who  were  then  absent.  The 
Shawanese  hesitated  to  make  such  an  engagement; 
and  to  compel  them  to  do  it,  Colonel  Bouquet  advanced 
into  their  country  as  far  as  the  Scioto :  they  then  agreed 
to  restore  their  prisoners.  On  the  9th  of  November, 
two  hundred  and  six  of  them  were  brought  into  the 
camp.  On  the  same  day  a  new  conference  was  held 
for  a  treaty  of  peace:  a  treaty  was  first  concluded 
between  the  Senecas  and  Delawares,  and  their  orator, 
Kiyasnuta,  gave  the  necklaces  or  accustomed  presents. 
"  I  offer  this  wampum  to  dry  up  the  tears  of  your  eyes. 


INDIANS  SURRENDER  THEIR  PRISONERS.  215 

and  I  restore  unto  you  the  last  man  of  your  flesh  and 
blood  who  remains  in  the  hands  of  the  Senecas  and 
Delawares.  Let  us  bury  with  this  other  wampum  all 
the  men  who  have  perished  during  the  war  which  the 
evil  spirit  has  raised  up ;  and  let  us  again  cover  with 
earth  and  leaves  their  dead  bodies,  so  that  they  may 
no  longer  be  seen,  and  that  all  the  traces  of  our  hate 
may  be  buried."  The  same  conditions  were  afterwards 
made  with  the  Shawanese;  and  these,  still  preserving 
in  their  defeat  their  proud  and  noble  character,  declared 
that  they  did  not  renounce  the  war  on  account  of  their 
feebleness  and  exhaustion,  but  in  commiseration  of  their 
wives  and  children. 

The  arrival  of  all  the  prisoners  in  the  camp  afforded 
a  very  affecting  scene.  Fathers,  husbands,  and  brothers 
recognised  their  sons,  wives,  and  sisters,  from  whom 
they  had  been  separated:  others  seeking  in  vain  for 
those  whom  they  had  lost,  did  not  dare  to*  inquire  con 
cerning  their  fate.  The  Indians  themselves  delivered 
up  their  captives  with  great  regret ;  for  they  had  be 
come  attached  to  thfem,  and  had  admitted  them  into 
their  families ;  they,  therefore,  left  them  with  tears,  and 
recommended  them  to  the  English  commander.  These 
prisoners  had  never  been  treated  like  slaves,  and  the  In 
dians,  in  granting  them  life,  had  adopted  and  cherished 
them  as  brothers,  sisters,  and  children ;  many  had  settled 
among  the  savages;  they  had  learned  their  language, 
and  adopted  their  Customs,  but  were  compelled  to  re 
turn  among  the  Europeans :  some  of  them  escaped  and 
returned  to  the  Indian  settlements. 

The  army  having  accomplished  its  design,  proceeded 
homeward  on  the  18th  of  November ;  they  reached  Pitts- 
burg  on  the  28th ;  garrisons  were  sent  to  the  different 
posts.  The  prisoners  proceeded  towards  their  native 
countries;  and  Colonel  Bouquet  returned,  in  the  begin 
ning  of  January,  1765,  to  Philadelphia,  where  the  repre 
sentatives  of  Pennsylvania  rendered  him  and  his  soldiers 
the  thanks  due  to  their  services.  The  same  was  done 
by  the  representatives  of  Virginia ;  and  the  King  of 
England,  George  III.,  honoured  the  merits  of  the  colo- 


216 


INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


nel  by  appointing  him  brigadier-general  of  his  armies 
and  by  confiding  to  him  a  command  in  the  southern 
provinces  of  North  America. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

INDIAN  WARS  OF  CAROLINA  PREVIOUS  TO  THE 
REVOLUTION. 


ERY  soon  after  the  Eng- 
lish  first  settled  in  South 
Carolina,  it  was  ascertain 
ed  that  this  state  was  oc 
cupied  by  about  twenty 
different  tribes  of  Indians. 
These  Indians  viewed  the 
encroachments  made  on 
their  territories  by  the 
whites  with  a  jealous  eye, 
but  yet  did  not  take  any 
measures  to  resist  them ;  and  the  whites  finally  gained 
possession  of  a  great  part  of  the  territory.  But  in 
the  end  the  Indians  began  to  perceive  that  if  matters 
went  on  in  this  way  the  English  would  soon  expel  them 
from  their  native  forests ;  and  contests,  therefore,  soon 
broke  out  between  the  planters  and  parties  of  Indians, 
in  which  many  lives  were  lost.  A  price  was  at  last 
fixed  on  every  Indian  taken  prisoner  and  brought  to 
Charleston,  from  whence  they  were  sent  to  the  West  In 
dies  and  sold  as  slaves.  This  measure  may  appear  to 
nave  been  very  inhuman;  but  the  planters  had  no  other 
means  of  getting  rid  of  such  troublesome  enemies,  and 
therefore  necessity  pleaded  in  its  vindication. 

In  the  year  1680,  a  war  broke  out  with  the  Westoes, 


MASSACRE  IN  THE  NEIGHBORHOOD  OF  ROANOKE.  Page  217. 


INDIAN  WARS  IN  CAROLINA.  217 

•me  of  the  most  powerful  tribes  in  the  province :  a  peace 
was  concluded  in  the  subsequent  year,  and  not  much 
loss  was  sustained  by  either  party.  In  the  year  1702, 
Governor  Moore  marched  into  the  country  occupied 
by  the  Apalachian  Indians,  who,  being  instigated  by  the 
Spaniards,  had  commenced  hostilities,  took  a  great  num 
ber  of  them  prisoners,  and  obliged  the  rest  to  submit  to 
the  English  government. 

The  next  war  with  the  Indians  broke  out  in  1712. 
Several  of  the  most  powerful  tribes  of  Indians,  among 
whom  were  the  Tuscaroras  and  Corees,  united  together, 
and  formed  a  plot  to  murder  or  expel  the  English.  Their 
plan  was  carried  on  with  a  profound  secrecy.  Their 
principal  town  was  fortified,  in  order  to  afford  protec 
tion  to  their  women  and  children ;  and  the  warriors  ol 
the  different  tribes,  to  the  number  of  twelve  hundred, 
met  here  and  matured  their  murderous  design.  At 
length,  when  they  thought  they  had  a  fit  opportunity 
they  dispersed  into  small  parties,  and,  entering  the  houses 
of  the  planters,  demanded  something  to  eat.  They  ap 
peared  to  be  displeased  with  the  provisions  that  were 
set  before  them,  and  irrimediately  began  to  murder  the 
men,  women,  and  children  without  distinction.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  Roanoke  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven  settlers  were  murdered.  A  few  who  had  hid 
themselves  in  the  woods,  escaped  and  carried  the  ti 
dings,  into  tlje  neighbouring  settlements,  thus  preventing 
the  total  destruction  of  the  colony. 

Active  measure  were  instantly  taken  against  the  In 
dians.  The  Assembly  voted  four  thousand  pounds  to 
wards  the  war.  A  body  of  six  hundred  men,  under  Colo 
nel  Barnwell,  marched  against  the  savages.  They 
were  joined  by  parties  of  Indians  belonging  to  several 
tribes  in  the  neighbourhood,  so  that  the  whole  force  con 
sisted  of  upwards  of  a  thousand  men.  The  army  had  to 
march  through  .a  wilderness  in  which  no  provisions 
could  be  procured,  and  it  was  reduced  to  great  straits  ; 
but,  finally,  came  up  with  the  enemy,  and  defeated  them 
with  great  slaughter.  In  the  first  battle  about  three 
hundred  of  the  Indians  were  killed  and  one  hundred 
21 


218  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

taken  prisoners.  The  Indians  then  retreated  to  the 
town,  which  they  had  fortified.  Here  they  were  sur 
rounded,  a  large  number  were  killed,  and  the  rest  were 
compelled  to  sue  for  peace.  This  was  granted  them. 
In  this  expedition,  it  was  calculated  that  a  thousand 
Tuscaroras  were  either  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  pri 
soners.  The  survivors  abandoned  their  country,  emi 
grated  to  the  north,  and  joined  the  Five  Nations,  thus 
making  this  confederacy  consist  of  six  tribes. 

In  1715,  South  Carolina  was  visited  with  an  Indian 
war  so  formidable  as  to  threaten  its  extirpation.  The 
Yemassees  were  the  chief  instruments  in  promoting  this 
conspiracy  against  the  English.  They  had  hitherto 
been  on  terms  of  great  intimacy  and  friendship  with  the 
Carolinians.  For  about  a  year  before  the  war  broke 
out,  it  was  observed  that  the  Indians  went  frequently  to 
St.  Augustine,  and  returned  loaded  with  presents. 

About  a  week  before  the  commencement  of  hostili 
ties,  an  Indian  warrior  attached  to  the  family  of  one 
Fraser,  a  trader,  told  his  wife  that  the  English  were  all 
heretics,  and  would  go  to  hell  when  they  died,  and  that 
the  Yemassees  would  go  there,  too,  if  they  did  not  ex 
pel  the  English ;  that  the  governor  of  St.  Augustine 
was  their  king,  and  that  a  bloody  war  would  soon  break 
out  with  the  English ;  he  afterwards  advised  Fraser  to 
fly,  which  he  did,  and  escaped  to  Charleston  with  his 
family  and  effects. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  1715,  about  day-break,  the  Eng 
lish  traders  at  Pocotaligo  were  alarmed  by  the  cries  of 
war.  The  Indians  massacred  above  ninety  persons  in 
that  place  and  the  neighbouring  plantations.  A  man 
who  escaped  fled  to  Port  Royal  and  alarmed  the  town. 
The  inhabitants  went  on  board  the  shipping  and  sailed 
to  Charleston.  It  was  soon  found  that  all  the  Indian 
tribes  from  Florida  to  Cape  Fear  river  had  joined  in 
this  conspiracy  to  massacre  and  extirpate  the  English. 
The  planters  from  every  quarter  fled  to  Charleston. 
The  governor  proclaimed  martial  law,  and  laid  an  em 
bargo  on  all  ships,  besides  obtaining  permission  from 
the  Assembly  to  impress  men,  arms,  and  ammunition 


YEMASSEE  WAR.  219 

into  the  service.  Robert  Daniel  was  appointed  deputy- 
governor,  whilst  Governor  Craven  marched  at  the  head 
of  the  militia  against  the. largest  body  of  savages. 

In  the  mean  time,  Thomas  Barker,  with  a  company 
of  ninety  horsemen,  proceeded  against  the  enemy.  But, 
by  the  treachery  of  an  Indian  guide,  he  was  led  into 
an  ambush  of  the  enemy.  Barker  and  several  others 
were  killed  at  the  first  fire,  and  the  remainder  retreat 
ed.  After  this,  a  party  of  four  hundred  Indians  ad 
vanced  to  Goose-creek.  At  this  place  a  small  fort  had 
been  erected,  containing  seventy  white  men  and  forty 
negroes.  On  the  approach  of  the  Indians,  the  garrison 
became  discouraged,  and  agreed  to  terms  of  peace ; 
and  having  admitted  the  enemy  within  their  works,  the 
whole  garrison  was  barbarously  murdered. 

Governor  Craven  now  advanced  cautiously  against 
the  enemy.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Indian 
mode  of  fighting,  and  therefore  took  every  precaution 
against  a  sudden  surprise.  He  knew  that  the  fate  of 
South  Carolina  depended  on  the  issue  of  the  contest ; 
and  his  men  had  no  alternative  but  to  conquer  or  suffer 
a  painful  death. 

He  marched  forward  without  opposition  till  he  ar 
rived  at  Saltcatchers,  where  the  enemy  had  pitched  his 
camp.  Here  a  severe  contest  took  place.  The  In 
dians,  firing  from  behind  trees  and  other  places  of  con 
cealment,  killed  a  great  number  of  the  English.  They 
were  several  times  compelled  to  retreat,  but  again  re 
turned  to  the  charge  with  redoubled  fury.  The  governor 
finally  succeeded  in  driving  them  from  their  coverts, 
and  kept  his  troops  at  their  heels  till  they  had  crossed 
Savannah  river. 

This  victory  raised  the  inhabitants  of  South  Carolina 
from  the  greatest  despondency  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
joy.  The  expedition  not  only  disconcerted  the  greatest 
conspiracy  ever  formed  against  the  colony,  but  also 
placed  it  in  a  state  of  greater  security  than  it  had 
hitherto  enjoyed. 

The  Yemassees,  after  their  defeat,  retreated  to  St. 
Augustine,  where  they  were  received  with  the  firing  of 


320  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

guns,  the  ringing  of  bells,  and  every  other  demonstration 
of  welcome.  They  were  furnished  by  the  Spaniards  with 
arms,  and  again  began  their  depredations.  Governor 
Craven,  with  a  body  of  militia,  meeting  a  party  of  these 
Indians  near  Stone  Ferry,  attacked  and  entirely  defeat 
ed  them.  This  was  the  last  general  attempt  of  the 
Yemassees  against  the  settlers  of  South  Carolina.  A 
few  years  after  it  became  a  royal  province;  and  the 
wise  and  prudent  measures  of  the  governor,  Sir  Fran 
cis  Nicholson,  contributed  to  restore  harmony,  so  that 
for  many  years  after  the  Yemassee  war,  the  peace  of 
the  province  was  preserved  without  any  considerable 
interruption^ 

When  the  French  had  been  defeated  in  the  war 
which  led  to  the  conquest  of  Canada*  and  compelled  to 
abandon  Fort  Duquesne,  retreating  down  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi,  they  had  the  address  to  involve  the  Indians 
in  a  serious  war  with  Carolina. 

It  was  the  Cherokees  that  the  French,  who  had  evacu 
ated  the  fort  and  fled  to  their  country,  endeavoured  to 
excite  against  the  Carolinians.  A  quarrel  occurred  at 
this  juncture  which  helped  materially  to  fan  the  flame 
of  dissatisfaction  among  them.  The  facts  are  as  fol 
lows  :  It  had  always  been  the  custom  for  the  Indians 
and  English  colonists  to  seize  the  horses  that  ran  wild 
in  the  woods;  It  happened  that  a  party  of  Cherokees, 
returning  from  Fort  Duquesne,  seized  some  stray  horses, 
in  order  that  they  might  reach  home  the  sooner.  But 
it  appears  that  the  animals  belonged  to  the  whites, 
who>  instead  of  taking  legal  means  for  redress,  pursued 
the  Indians,  and  killed  twelve  or  fourteen  of  them. 
The  Cherokees  were  enraged  when  they  heard  of  this. 
The  young  meh  proposed  to  fall  upon  the  border  towns, 
and  notwithstanding  the  arguments  of  the  elder  chiefs, 
the  Cherokees  destroyed  and  massacred  the  inhabitants 
of  several  settlements  on  the  Carolina  frontier. 

The  garrison  of  Fort  Loudori  was  attacked  several 
times  when  on  excursions  for  game ;  so  that  it  became 
necessary  to  keep  within  the  fort. 

Information  reaching   Governor  Lyttleton  of  these 


WAR  WITH  THE  CHEROKEES.  221 

hostile  acts,  he  made  every  preparation  to  invade  the 
Cherokee  villages.  The  Indians  no  sooner  heard  of 
these  preparations  than  they  sent  thirty-two  chiefs  to 
make  a  treaty  with  the  governor ;  but  he  refused  to 
forego  the  war;  and  detaining  the  chiefs  prisoners, 
he  marched  for  Fort  Prince  George.* 

When  he  reached  the  Congaree  he  received  additional 
troops,  which  augmented  his  force  to  fourteen  hundred 
men.  » 

By  this  time  their  valour  and  ardour  began  to  dimin 
ish  ;  and  when  they  arrived  at  Fort  Prince  George  they 
became  mutinous  and  ungovernable.  Governor  Lyttle- 
ton  saw  the  necessity  of  a  peace,  and  accordingly  in 
vited  Attakullakulla,  the  wisest  of  the  Cherokees,  to  a 
conference,  and  concluded  a  treaty ;  but  it  was  never 
regarded  by  the  Indians ;  for  the  treachery  of  detaining 
their  chiefs  was  yet  to  be  revenged.  Occonostota,  one 
of  their  chiefs,  was  the  principal  promoter  of  a  war, 
and,  indeed,  very  few  were  loath  to  attack  the  border 
settlements  and,  if  possible,  rescue  their  imprisoned 
friends.  The  opportunity  now  offered  wras  in  every 
way  advantageous.  The  Carolinians  were  rejoicing  in 
the  peace,  and  nothing  could  have  been  more  unexpect 
ed  than  hostility  with  the  Cherokees  at  that  moment. 

*  After  the  success  of  the  French  at  Fort  Duquesne,  in  1755, 
the  Indians  conceived  a  high  opinion  of  their  valour;  and  the 
Cherokees  were  disposed  to  enter  into  alliance  with  them.  Their 
chief  warrior  gave  notice  of  this  intention  to  Governor  Glen,  of 
South  Carolina,  who  had  the  prudence  and  address  to  engage 
them  in  a  treaty  which  was  concluded  at  a  place  in  their  own 
country,  two  hundred  miles  from  Charleston.  He  also  obtained 
from  them  the  cession  of  an  immense  tract  of  land,  which  occasioned 
the  removal  of  the  Indians  to  a  greater  distance  from  the  English. 
Soon  after  this  cession  of  lands,  the  governor  built  a  fort  about 
three  hundred  miles  from  Charleston,  afterwards  called  Fort  Prince 
George^  which  was  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Savannah  river, 
and  within  gun-shot  of  an  Indian  town  called  Keowee.  It  con 
tained  barracks  for  one  hundred  men,  and  was  designed  for  the 
defence  of  the  western  frontiers  of  Carolina.  The  Cherokeea 
could,  at  this  time,  bring  about  three  thousand  men  into  the  field  ; 
but  were  unprovided  with  arms  or  ammunition  for  their  own  de» 
fence. 


222  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  war  was  commenced  by  the  Indians  cutting  off 
the  soldiers  at  Fort  Prince  George  whenever  a  chance 
presented  itself.  Fourteen  were  slain  in  this  way,  and 
it  became  necessary  to  keep  the  strictest  guard.  In  fact, 
Fort  Prince  George  was  invested  by  Occonostota  with 
his  Cherokees.  That  chief  at  length  became  convinced 
that  the  place  could  not  be  taken  but  by  stratagem.  In 
order  to  effect  this  purpose  he  stationed  his  men  in  the 
thickerts  which  surrounded  the  fort,  and  then  dispatched 
a  squaw  to  Captain  Coytmore,  inviting  him  to  a  confer 
ence  on  the  river  bank.  The  captain  went  with  two 
lieutenants.  In  the  midst  of  the  conference,  the  chief 
made  a  signal,  and  the  Indians  firing,  killed  the  captain 
and  wounded  the  two  officers.  They  however  reached 
the  fort,  and  ordered  the  thirty-two  hostages  to  be  put 
in  irons.  While  the  soldiers  were  executing  their  orders 
the  Indians  stabbed  one  with  a  knife.  The  soldiers,  ex 
asperated  to  the  greatest  pitch,  fell  upon  them  and  mas 
sacred  the  whole.  This  act  exasperated  the  Indians  to 
frenzy,  and  preparations  were  made  on  both  sides  for  a 
bloody  struggle.  Scarcely  any  one  of  the  Cherokees 
but  had  a  friend  among  the  slaughtered  chiefs.  Revenge 
being  the  uppermost  object  with  them  now,  they  fell 
upon  the  border  villages  and  committed  the  most  un 
paralleled  cruelties. 

In  this  extremity  a  messenger  was  sent  to  Lord  Am- 
herst  for  aid,  who  dispatched  Colonel  Montgomery  with 
two  regiments  to  South  Carolina. 

Bull,  who  succeeded  Lyttleton,  exerted  himself  stren 
uously  to  raise  soldiers ;  he  put  the  forts  into  better  or 
der,  and  placed  stronger  garrisons  in  them.  As  soon 
as  Montgomery  reached  Carolina,  in  April,  1760,  the 
provincials  joined  him,  and,  in  a  short  time,  he  was  on 
his  way  for  the  Cherokee  country.  His  first  attempt 
was  to  surprise  Estatoe.  On  his  way  thither  he  sur 
prised  a  little  village,  and  put  every  inhabitant  to  the 
sword.  The  Indians  at  Estatoe  having,  by  this  time, 
leceived  notice  of  his  approach,  fled;  and  when  the 
troops  arrived,  they  found  nothing  but  the  empty  huts, 
which,  with  the  flourishing  crops  around,  were  destroy- 


INDIANS  CAPTLRE  FORT  LOUDON.        223 

ed.  He  then  advanced  to  the  lower  towns,  where  sixty 
Indians  were  killed  and  forty  taken  prisoners.  The 
troops  next  marched  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Prince  George, 
which  was  closely  invested  by  the  Indians.  The  sav 
ages  being  dispersed,  Montgomery  determined  to  rest 
his  troops  for  a  while.  In  the  meantime  offers  of  peace 
had  been  made  to  the  Middle  village  of  the  Cherokees, 
but  they  had  been  rejected. 

Colonel  Montgomery,  therefore,  found  it  necessary  to 
go  into  the  Cherokee  country  again.  On  his  way  to 
Etchoe,  the  nearest  town,  he  was  attacked,  and  a  des 
perate  battle  ensued.  The  Indians  fought  with  the 
greatest  bravery  in  the  defence  of  their  town ;  but 
they  were  at  length  compelled  to  fly.  The  English  had 
ninety-six  killed  and  wounded.  The  victory  rendered 
it  useless  to  proceed,  and  the  troops  returned  to  Fort 
Prince  George. 

The  time  allotted  for  the  stay  of  Montgomery  in  Car 
olina  now  expired,  and  he  prepared  to  embark  for  New 
York  with  his  two  regiments,  but  at  the  solicitation  of 
the  governor  he  left  Major  Frederick  Hamilton  with 
four  companies. 

In  the  meantime  Fort  Loudon  had  been  compelled  to 
surrender  from  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  and  it  re 
ceived  the  most  honourable  terms  from  the  Cherokees. 
But,  as  the  garrison  was  on  its  march  homeward,  they 
were  attacked  by  the  Indians  and  nearly  all  cut  to 
pieces.  Encouraged  at  this  success,  the  Indians  were 
induced  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Fort  Prince  George. 

In  the  midst  of  their  preparations  they  were  told  that 
one  of  their  prisoners,  Captain  Stuart,  had  escaped,  and 
knowing  that 'he  would  apprise  the  people  at  the  fort  of 
their  intention,  they  gave  up  the  project. 

Stuart,  the  officer  who  escaped,  informed  Governor 
Bull  of  their  design  upon  Fort  Prince  George,  and  advised 
him  to  provide  for  its  defence.  The  governor  strengthen 
ed  the  garrison,  and  sent  word  to  the  Indians  that  if  they 
attacked  the  fort  they  would  be  destroyed  by  the  gun 
powder  that  was  buried  around  the  walls.  Presents 
were  also  sent  to  the  Indians  to  induce  them  to  release 


224  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

their  white  prisoners.  The  Cherokees  set  them  free, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  worn-out  captives  returned  to 
their  homes. 

The  people,  at  length,  thought  that  the  Indians  would 
come  to  terms,  but  they  were  sadly  disappointed ;  for, 
instigated  by  a  Frenchman,  they  recommenced  the  war. 
Application  was  again  made  to  Lord  Amherst,  who  sent 
Lieuenant-Colonel  Grant  with  a  Highland  regiment. 
Grant  arrived  at  Charleston  early  in  1761,  but  was  pre 
vented  from  beginning  operations  on  account  of  a  sick 
ness  which  broke  out  among  the  troops ;  but  by  the 
kind  nursing  of  the  Charleston  people  they  nearly  all 
recovered.  A  regiment  of  provincials  having  joined 
the  Highlanders,  the  march  commenced.  The  army, 
including  Indian  allies,  amounted  to  two  thousand  six 
hundred.  Every  precaution  was  taken  to  guard  against 
surprise.  The  march  of  Grant's  army  lay  through  the 
same  valley  where  Montgomery  had  defeated  the  Cher 
okees  the  previous  year.  As  he  entered  this  pass,  the 
Cherokees  commenced  an  assault.  A  battle  was  thus 
begun  which  terminated  in  favour  of  the  Carolinians, 
who,  having  sunk  the  dead  in  the  river,  proceeded  to 
Etchoe,  which  place  was  reduced  to  ashes.  After  stay 
ing  a  long  while  in  the  Cherokee  country,  Colonel  Grant 
returned  to  Fort  Prince  George. 

A  few  days  after  his  return  to  the  fort,  the  Indians 
sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted ;  and  thus  ended  a 
war  which  destroyed  entirely  the  French  power  in 
North  America. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


CRESAP'S    WAR. 


OGAN,  the  celebrated 
Mingo  chief,  was  the  son 
of  Shikellima,  chief  of 
the  Cayugas.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  named  from 
Dr.  James  Logan,  who 
was  much  beloved  by 
his  father.  Logan  bore  a 
high  character  for  mag 
nanimity  and  the  other 
qualities  that  distinguish 
a  great  man.  He  was  not  at  all  concerned  in  the  wars 
of  1760;  but  in  1774  he  was  provoked  to  fierce  hostility 
against  the  whites  by  a  series  of  unprovoked  aggres 
sions.  The  Indians,  it  appears,  had  robbed  some  whites 
who  contemplated  a  settlement  on  the  Ohio  river.  The 
settlers  immediately  collected  at  Wheeling  Creek,  and 
one  proposed  to  go  after  the  Indians  and  kill  them. 
Accordingly  Captain  Michael  Cresap  was  sent  with  a 
party  in  pursuit  of  them,  and  two  Indians  were  killed. 
Cresap  the  sa*me  day  fell  upon  a  party  of  unoffending 
Indians,  and  slew  several  of  them.  Among  these  were 
some  of  Logan's  relations. 

Another  murder  of  still  more  horrid  character  was 
committed  soon  after,  by  David  Greathouse  and  one 
Tomlinson.  Hearing  that  a  ^arty  of  Indians  was  en 
camped  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  opposite  to  the  place 
where  they  lived,  about  thirty  miles  above  Wheeling 
they  collected  a  considerable  body  of  men,  and  invited 

p  .    (225) 


226  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  Indians  to  come  over  the  river  and  drink  rum  with 
them,  and  having  succeeded  in  getting  them  intoxicated, 
they  murdered  all  of  the  party  but  one.  Among  the 
slain  were  a  brother  and  sister  of  Logan.  The  re 
maining  Indians  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  hearing 
the  firing  and  coming  to  the  relief  of  their  friends,  were 
fired  upon,  and  many  of  them  killed.  The  rest  retreated. 
This  took  place  on  the  24th  of  May,  1774. 

These  aggressions  of  the  wnites  led  to  an  immediate 
war,  which  was  prosecuted  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
with  their  usual  cruelty,  which  spared  no  age  nor  sex. 
By  the  exertions  of  the  injured  Logan,  and  the  chiefs 
under  his  influence,  the  Shawanese,  Mingoes,  Dela- 
wares,  Wyandots,  and  Cayugas,  were  united  in  hos 
tilities  against  the  Virginians.  The  celebrated  chief, 
Cornstalk,  was  among  the  most  conspicuous  of  their 
leaders. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  1774,  Logan,  accompanied  by 
eight  warriors,  made  an  unexpected  attack  upon  some 
inhabitants  upon  the  Muskingum,  in  which  one  man  was 
killed  and  two  captured,  one  of  whom,  Robinson,  was 
saved  from  the  torture  by  Logan,  and  adopted  as  his 
secretary. 

The  Virginia  legislature  being  in  session  when  the 
news  of  the  commencement  of  hostilities  arrived, 
Governor  Dunmore  ordered  a  levy  of  three  thousand 
men.  Half  of  these  troops  were  to  march  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Kanhawa,  under  General  Andrew  Lewis; 
and  the  remainder,  with  the  governor  in  person,  were 
to  proceed  to  a  higher  point  on  the  Ohio,  in  order  to 
attack  the  Indian  settlements  in  the  rear.  He  was  then 
to  form  a  junction  with  Lewis  at  Point  Pleasant.  Gene 
ral  Lewis,  with  a  force  of  one  thousand  one  hundred 
men,  commenced  his  march  from  Camp  Union  through 
the  wilderness,  on  the  llth  of  September,  and  arrived 
at  Point  Pleasant  (one  hundred  and  sixty  miles)  on  the 
30th.  Here  he  waited  until  the  10th  of  October  for 
the  arrival  of  Governor  Dunmore,  who,  it  is  now  be 
lieved,  did  not  intend  to  join  him  until  the  fighting  was 
over.  Or  the  morning  of  the  10th  a  hunter,  just  es- 


BATTLE  OF  POINT  PLEASANT.  227 

caped  from  the  Indian  rifles,  came  into  the  camp  and 
gave  notice  of  the  approach  of  an  immense  body  of 
Indians.  General  Lewis  immediately  made  arrange 
ments  for  the  battle,  by  ordering  his  brother,  Colonel 
Charles  Lewis,'  to  march  with  his  own  regiment,  and 
another  under  Colonel  Fleming,  to  reconnoitre  the  ene 
my,  while  he  should  prepare  the  main  body  to  support 
them.  At  four  hundred  yards  from  the  camp  they  were 
met  by  the  enemy  just  after  sunrise,  and  the  battle  com 
menced,  after  the  Indian  manner,  each  party  availing 
themselves  of  the  trees  for  shelter  and  defence.  Colo 
nel  Lewis  was  soon  shot  down,  and  the  advanced  regi 
ments  were  on  the  retreat,  when  Colonel  Field's  regiment 
coming  to  their  support,  they  rallied,  and  drove  the  In 
dians  behind  a  rough  breastwork  of  logs  and  bush  which 
they  had  erected,  and  which  being  extended  from  river 
to  river,  so  as  to  inclose  the  Virginians  on  the  point, 
would  have  insured  their  utter  destruction  in  Case  of  a 
defeat. 

The  ground  was  obstinately  defended  by  the  Indians 
till  near  the  close  of  the  day.  Logan,  Cornstalk,  Red 
Eagle,  and  other  distinguished  chiefs  led  them  on  in 
successive  charges  upon  the  Virginians,  until  Colonels 
Field  and  Fleming  having  both  fallen,  and  General  Lewis 
finding  his  ranks  fearfully  thinned  by  each  charge  of  the 
enemy,  resolved  to  throw  a  body  of  troops  into  their  rear. 
Captain  Isaac  Shelby,  afterwards  so  celebrated,  together 
with  Captains  Matthews  and  Steward,  being  detached 
with  three  companies  for  this  purpose,  arrived  at  the 
desired  point,  and  fell  upon  the  rear  of  the  Indians  with 
such  fury  as  immediately  to  decide  the  fortune  of  the 
day.  Supposing  that  a  reinforcement  had  arrived,  the 
Indians  instantly  gave  way,  and,  crossing  the  Ohio,  re 
treated  to  their  towns  on  the  Scioto.  The  loss  of  the 
Indians  in  this  action  could  never  be  accurately  deter 
mined,  in  consequence  of  the  usual  practice  of  carrying 
off  and  concealing  their  dead.  Thirty-three  were  found 
dead,  and  many  were  known  to  have  been  thrown  into 
the  river  by  the  Indians  themselves.  The  Virginians 
ost  fifty-five  killed  and  eighty-seven  wounded. 


228  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  Indians  now  sued  for  peace.  Logan  haughtily 
declined  to  appear  among  the  supplicants.  He  did  not, 
however,  refuse  his  assent  to  the  treaty  concluded  by 
Cornstalk  and  the  other  chiefs ;  but,  on  giving  it,  he  de 
livered  that  remarkable  speech  which  has  rendered  his 
name  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  the  Indian  annals. 
It  is  reported  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  Notes  on  Virginia, 
as  we  have  given  it  in  the  Introduction  to  this  work. 
Our  artist,  by  a  pardonable  license,  has  represented  the 
speech  which  was  actually  delivered  to  an  emissary  of 
Governor  Dunmore,  as  having  been  delivered  in  his  pre 
sence.  (See  Engraving  on  the  opposite  page.) 

Logan  did  not  long  survive  the  events  of  the  war  in 
which  he  played  so  conspicuous  a  part.  He  was  soon 
after  barbarously  murdered  as  he  was  on  his  way  home 
from  Detroit.  Cornstalk,  his  compatriot,  was  murdered 
with  his  son  Ellinipnis,  while  on  a  friendly  mission  to 
the  fort  at  Point  Pleasant  in  1777.  He  had  come  thither 
to  apprise  the  Americans  of  the  intention  of  his  tribe, 
the  Shawanese,  to  join  the  British.  He  was  detained 
there  and  visited  by  his  son ;  and  some  whites  having 
been  fired  upon,  and  one  man  killed  by  Indians  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  fort,  Cornstalk  and  his  son  were 
both  murdered  in  cold  blood,  by  way  of  retaliation. 


(229) 


CHAPTER  XV 
INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE    REVOLUTION. 


'ANY  circumstances  tend 
ed  to  change  the  aspects 
and  relations  of  Indian 
warfare  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  Revolution 
ary  war. 

In  the  war  which  be 
gan  in  1755,  between 
the  French  and  English, 
great  attention  was  paid 
by  both  parties  to  the  dif 
ferent  tribes  of  Indians.  The  French  succeeded  in 
gaining  the  friendship  of  the  greater  nurnber ;  but  the 
success  of  the  English  in  the  latter  part  of  the  war, 
turned  the  affections  of  the  Indians  in  their  favour.  In 
the  revolutionary  war,  the  friendship  of  the  Indians  be 
came  a  matter  of  much  importance  to  both  parties. 
And  as  terror  was  one  of  the  expedients  by  which 
Great  Britain  endeavoured  to  reduce  her  colonies  to 
submission,  the  greatest  care  was  taken  to  gain  the  af 
fections  of  the  Indians,  and  to  induce  them  to  join  the 
British  standard.  In  doing  this  the  English  had  fat 
greater  advantages  than  the  colonists.  The  expulsion1 
of  the  French  from  Canada,  which  had  taken  place  only 
about  thirteen  years  before,  had  given  the  Indians  a 
high  opinion  of  the  superiority  and  courage  of  the 
British  troops.  They  also  had  the  means  of  supplying 
the  wants  of  the  Indians,  by  articles  which  they  received 
from  England  ;  while  congress,  by  the  non-importation 

(231) 


232  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

act,  had  debarred  the  colonists  from  importing  those 
goods  which  were  necessary  for  the  Indian  trade. 

Besides  this,  the  English  had  another  great  advantage 
over  the  colonists.  Since  the  peace  of  1763,  nearly  all 
the  transactions  with  the  Indians  had  been  carried  on  by 
agents  appointed  and  paid  by  the  king  of  Great  Britain. 
These,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  used  all  their  influence 
with  the  savages  in  favour  of  the  mother  country,  and 
against  the  colonies.  They  insinuated  into  the  minds  of 
the  Indians  that  the  king  was  their  natural  ruler  and 
protector ;  and  that,  should  the  colonists  succeed  in  the 
war  in  which  they  were  then  engaged,  their  next  step 
would  be  the  extirpation  of  their  red  neighbours.  By 
such  representations,  as  well  as  by  a  profusion  of  pre 
sents,  the  Indians  were  nearly  all  pre-engaged  in  favour 
of  the  English. 

Meanwhile  the  Americans  were  not  unmindful  of 
their  interests  in  this  quarter.  They  appointed  com 
missioners  to  explain  to  the  Indians  the  nature  and 
cause  of  the  quarrel ;  and  to  gain  their  favour  by  means 
of  treaties  and  presents.  They  endeavoured  to  per 
suade  them  that  the  war  in  no  way  concerned  them  ; 
and  that  they,  therefore,  should  not  take  part  with  either 
side.  Congress  also  resolved  to  distribute  goods  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  two  thousand  dollars  among  them;  but 
this  resolution  was  never  executed.  All  the  exertions  of 
congress  were  insufficient  for  the  security  of  the  western 
frontiers.  In  almost  every  period  of  the  war,  the  In 
dians  took  part  with  the  English  against  the  Americans. 
South  Carolina  was  one  of  the  first  states  that  felt  the 
effects  of  the  British  influence  over  the  minds  of  the 
Indians.  The  Creeks  and  Cherokees  inhabited  lands 
not  far  distant  from  the  western  settlements  of  this  state. 
All  intercourse  with  these  tribes  had,  for  several  years 
prior  to  the  beginning  of  the  war,  been  carried  on  by 
John  Stuart,  an  officer  of  the  crown,  who  was  very 
zealous  in  the  British  cause.  A  plan  was  formed  by 
him  to  land  a  force  of  English  soldiers  in  Florida,  and 
in  conjunction  with  the  tories  and  Indians,  make  an 
attack  on  the  western  settlements  of  the  southern  states ; 


CHEROKEES  SUBDUED.  233 

whilst  at  the  same  time  a  British  fleet  and  army  shouid 
invade  them  on  the  coast.  This  scheme  was  discover 
ed  by  the  capture  of  Moses  Kirkland,  one  of  the  prin 
cipal  agents  employed  in  its  execution,  whilst  he  was 
on  his  way  with  dispatches  to  General  Gage.  The  in 
formation  thus  received  enabled  the  Americans  to  take 
such  steps  as  in  a  degree  frustrated  the  scheme ;  yet  so 
nearly  had  this  plan  succeeded,  that  the  Cherokee  In 
dians  began  their  massacres  at  the  same  time  that  a 
British  fleet  attacked  the  fort  on  Sullivan's  island.  But 
the  defeat  of  the  fleet,  and  the  uninterrupted  tranquillity 
which  succeeded  the  unsuccessful  attempts  of  the  Bri 
tish,  in  1776,  enabled  the  Americans  to  carry  the  war 
into  the  territories  of  the  Indians.  This  they  did,  not 
so  much  to  punish  the  past,  but  to  prevent  them  from 
committing  similar  outrages  in  future. 

A  considerable  force  was  at  the  same  time  sent  by 
Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  some  of  the  other  south 
ern  states,  which  traversed  the  Indian  country,  burnt 
their  villages,  and  destroyed  their  crops.  About  five 
hundred  of  the  Indians  belonging  to  the  Cherokee  tribe 
were  obliged,  from  a  scarcity  of  provisions,  to  enter 
Florida,  and  seek  protection  from  the  British.  Here 
they  were  fed  and  clothed  for  a  considerable  time ;  but 
they  finally  sued  for  peace  in  the  most  submissive  man 
ner;  and  soon  after  a  treaty  was  made,  by  which  they 
ceded  a  considerable  portion  of  their  land  in  South 
Carolina.  This  expedition  so  intimidated  the  Cherokees, 
that  for  several  years  they  attempted  no  further  hos 
tilities. 

But  the  case  of  those  Indians  who  dwelt  near  the 
British  posts,  and  on  the  frontiers  of  the  northern  and 
middle  states,  was  very  different.  The  presents  which 
they  were  continually  receiving  from  the  English,  and 
the  influence  of  a  great  number  of  tories  who  had  taken 
refuge  'among  them,  so  enlisted  them  m  favour  of  the 
British  government,  that  they  were  continually  making 
hostile  excursions  against  the  Americans.  Their  prin 
cipal  leaders  in  these  expeditions  were  Colonel  John 
Butler,  a  Connecticut  tory,  and  Brant,  a  half-blood  In- 


234  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

dian,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Six  Nations.  The  re- 
mote  situation  of  the  settlements,  and  the  Indians* 
knowledge  of  the  country,  enabled  them  to  send  out 
parties  which  did  a  great  deal  of  mischief. 

Both  Brant  and  Butler  were  employed  in  the  famous 
expedition  of  Colonel  St.  Leger  against  Fort  Schuyler 
or  Stanwix.  When  Burgoyne  was  advancing  upon 
Crown  Point,  in  the  invasion  which  terminated  in  his 
capture,  he  detached  Colonel  St.  Leger  with  a  body  of 
light  troops,  Canadians,  tories,  and  Indians,  amounting 
to  eight  hundred  men,  by  the  way  of  Lake  Oswego  and 
the  Mohawk  river,  to  make  a  diversion  in  that  quarter, 
and  to  join  him  when  he  advanced  to  the  Hudson. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  St.  Leger  approached  Fort 
Schuyler,  a  log  fortification,  situated  on  rising  ground 
near  the  source  of  the  Mohawk  river,  and  garrisoned 
by  about  six  hundred  continentals  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Gansevoort.  Next  day  he  invested  the  place 
with  an  army  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  hundred  men, 
nearly  one-half  of  whom  were  Indians,  and  the  rest 
British,  Germans,  Canadians,  and  tories.  On  being 
summoned  to  surrender,  Gansevoort  answered  that  he 
would  defend  the  place  to  the  last. 

On  the  approach  of  St.  Leger  to  Fort  Schuyler,  gene 
ral  Herkimer,  who  commanded  the  militia  of  Tryon 
county,  assembled  about  seven  hundred  of  them  and 
marched  to  the  assistance  of  the  garrison.  On  the  fore 
noon  of  the  6th  of  August,  a  messenger  from  Herkimer 
found  means  to  enter  the  fort,  and  gave  notice  that  he 
was  only  eight  miles  distant,  and  intended  that  day  to 
force  a  passage  into  the  fort  and  join  the  garrison.  Gan 
sevoort  resolved  to  aid  the  attempt  by  a  vigorous  sally, 
and  appointed  Colonel  Willet  with  upwards  of  two  hun 
dred  men  to  that  service. 

St.  Leger  received  information  of  the  approach  of 
Herkimer,  and  placed  a  large  body  of  regulars  and  In 
dians  in  ambush  on  the  road  by  which  he  was  to  ad 
vance.  Herkimer  fell  into  the  snare.  The  first  notice 
which  he  received  of  the  presence  of  an  enemy  was 
from  a  heavy  discharge  of  musketry  on  his  troops,  which 


HERKIMER'S  DEFEAT.  235 

Was  instantly  followed  by  the  war-whoop  of  the  Indians, 
who  attacked  the  militia  with  their  tomahawks.  Though 
disconcerted  by  the  suddenness  of  the  attack,  many  of 
the  militia  behaved  with  spirit,  and  a  scene  of  unutter 
able  confusion  and  carnage  ensued.  The  royal  troops 
and  the  militia  became  so  closely  crowded  together  that 
they  had  not  room  to  use  fire-arms,  but  pushed  and 
pulled  each  other,  and,  using  their  daggers,  fell  pierced 
by  mutual  wounds.  Some  of  the  militia  fled  at  the  first 
onset,  others  made  their  escape  afterwards ;  about  one 
hundred  of  them  retreated  to  a  rising  ground,  where 
they  bravely  defended  themselves,  till  Sir  John  John- 
stone,  who  commanded  the  ambuscade,  found  it  neces 
sary  to  call  off  his  men  for  the  defence  of  their  own 
camp.  In  the  absence  of  the  party  against  Herkimer, 
Colonel  Willet  made  a  successful  sally,  killed  a  number 
of  the  enemy,  destroyed  their  provisions,  carried  off 
some  spoil,  and  returned  to  the  fort  without  the  loss  of 
a  man. 

The  loss  of  Herkimer's  party  was  computed  to  amount 
to  four  hundred  men :  the  general  himself  was  among 
the  slain.  Many  of  the  most  active  political  characters 
in  that  part  of  the  country  were  killed,  wounded,  or 
made  prisoners ;  so  that  St.  Leger  was  secured  from 
any  further  trouble  from  the  militia.  He  now  once  more 
summoned  the  fort  to  surrender,  but  again  met  with  a 
steady  refusal. 

General  Schuyler,  deeming  it  a  matter  of  importance 
to  prevent  the  junction  of  St.  Leger  with  General  Bur- 
goyne,  dispatched  Arnold  with  a  considerable  body  of 
regular  troops  to  relieve  Fort  Schuyler.  Arnold  appre 
hended  an  American  of  some  wealth  and  influence, 
who,  he  believed,  had  been  acting  the  part  of  a  traitor, 
but  promised  to  spare  his  life  and  fortune  on  condition 
of  his  going  into  the  British  camp  before  Fort  Schuyler, 
and  alarming  the  Indians  and  others  by  magnifying  the 
force  which  was  marching  against  them.  This  the  per- 
son  undertook  and  executed.  Some  Indians,  who  were 
friendly  to  the  Americans,  communicated  similar  inform 
ation,  and  even  spread  a  report  of  the  total  defeat  of 


236  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

General  Burgoyne's  army,  founded,  probably,  on  the  cel 
ebrated  victory  of  General  Stark  at  Bennington. 

Fort  Schuyler  was  better  constructed,  and  defended 
with  more  courage  than  St.  Leger  had  expected ;  and 
his  light  artillery  made  little  impression  on  it.  His  In 
dians,  who  liked  better  to  take  scalps  and  plunder  than 
to  besiege  fortresses,  became  very  unmanageable.  The 
loss  which  they  had  sustained  in  the  encounters  with 
Herkimer  and  Willet  deeply  affected  them :  they  had 
expected  to  be  witnesses  of  the  triumphs  of  the  British, 
and  to  share  with  them  the  plunder.  Hard  service  and 
little  reward  caused  bitter  disappointment;  and  when 
they  heard  that  a  strong  detachment  of  continentals  was 
marching  against  them,  they  resolved  to  seek  safety  in 
flight.  St.  Leger  employed  every  argument  and  artifice 
to  detain  them,  but  in  vain ;  part  of  them  went  off,  and 
all  the  rest  threatened  to  follow  if  the  siege  were  per 
severed  in.  Therefore,  on  the  22d  of  August,  St.  Le 
ger  raised  the  siege,  and  retreated  with  circumstances 
indicating  great  alarm :  the  tents  were  left  standing,  the 
artillery  was  abandoned,  and  a  great  part  of  the  bag 
gage,  ammunition,  and  provisions  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  garrison,  a  detachment  from  which  pursued  the  re 
treating  enemy.  St.  Leger  retired  to  Montreal,  whence 
he  proceeded  to  Ticonderoga,  with  the  intention  of  join 
ing  General  Burgoyne. 

General  Arnold  reached  Fort  Schuyler  two  days 
after  the  retreat  of  the  besiegers;  but,  finding  no 
occasion  for  his  services,  he  soon  returned  to  camp. 
The  successful  defence  of  Fort  Schuyler  powerfully 
co-operated  with  the  defeat  of  the  royal  troops  at 
Bennington  in  raising  the  spirits  and  invigorating  the 
activity  of  the  Americans.  The  loyalists  became  timid ; 
the  wavering  began  to  doubt  the  success  of  the  royal 
arms ;  and  the  great  body  of  the  people  was  convinced 
that  nothing  but  steady  exertion  on  their  part  was  ne 
cessary  to  ruin  that  army  which  a  short  time  before  had 
appeared  irresistible. 

General  Schuyler,  who,  notwithstanding  all  his  meri 
torious  sen  ices,  was  no  favourite  with  Congress,  at  this 


MURDER  OF  MISS  M  ACRE  A.  237 

critical  period  of  the  campaign,  when  by  unwearied 
exertion  he  had  brought  the  northern  arrny  into  a  re 
spectable  condition,  and  had  the  fair  prospect  of  gain 
ing  the  laurels  due  to  his  industry  and  talents,  was  su 
perseded,  and  General  Gates  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  army.  General  Schuyler  keenly  felt  the  indig 
nity  offered  him,  by  depriving  him  of  the  command  at 
that  critical  juncture ;  but  he  faithfully  discharged  his 
duty  till  the  arrival  in  camp  of  his  successor,  on  the 
19th  of  August.  The  late  events  had  greatly  changed 
the  aspect  of  affairs ;  and  General  Gates  found  the  army 
in  a  far  more  promising  state  than  he  had  expected. 
The  harvest  was  over ;  and  many  of  the  militia,  who 
had  been  kept  at  home  by  it,  were  arriving  in  camp, 
where  there  was  now  a  respectable  force,  much  en 
couraged  by  the  recent  success  of  the  American  arms. 

Soon  after  General  Gates  entered  on  the  command 
of  the  northern  army,  an  epistolary  correspondence  was 
opened  between  him  and  General  Burgoyne,  not  of  the 
most  pleasant  or  courteous  kind.  On  the  30th  of  Au 
gust,  the  British  general  complained  of  the  harsh  treat 
ment  experienced  by  the  loyalists  who  had  been  made 
prisoners  at  Bennington,  and  hinted  at  retaliation.  On 
the  2d  of  September  the  American  general  answered 
his  letter,  and  recriminated  by  expatiating  on  the  hor 
rid  atrocities  perpetrated  by  the  Indians  who  accompa 
nied  the  armies  of  General  Burgoyne  and  Colonel  St. 
Leger,  and  imputed  them  to  General  Burgoyne.  One 
barbarous  act  committed  by  an  Indian  attached  to  Gene 
ral  Burgoyne's  army,  although  it  involved  only  a  case 
of  individual  suffering,  yet  being  described  in  the  Amer 
ican  newspapers  with  every  circumstance  that  could 
excite  the  imagination  and  inflame  the  feelings,  made  a 
deep  impression  on  the  public  mind,  and  roused  indig 
nation  to  the  highest  pitch. 

Mr.  Jones,  an  officer  of  the  British  army,  had  gained 
the  affections  of  Miss  Macrea,  a  lovely  young  lady  of 
amiable  character  and  spotless  reputation,  daughter  of 
a  gentleman  attached  to  the  royal  cause,  residing  near 
Fort  Edward ;  and  they  had  agreed  to  be  married.  In  the 


238  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

course  of  service,  the  officer  was  removed  to  some  dis 
tance  from  his  bride,  and  became  anxious  for  her  safety 
and  desirous  of  her  company.  He  engaged  some  In 
dians,  of  two  different  tribes,  to  bring  her  to  camp,  and 
promised  a  keg  of  rum  to  the  person  who  should  deliver 
her  safe  to  him.  She  dressed  to  meet  her  bridegroom, 
and  accompanied  her  Indian  conductors ;  but  by  the 
way,  the  two  chiefs,  each  being  desirous  of  receiving 
the  promised  reward,  disputed  which  of  them  should 
deliver  her  to  her  lover.  The  dispute  rose  to  a  quar 
rel  ;  and,  according  to  their  usual  method  of  disposing 
of  a  disputed  prisoner,  one  of  them  instantly  cleft  the 
head  of  the  lady  with  his  tomahawk.  (See  Engraving 
on  the  opposite  page.)  This  simple  story,  sufficiently  tra 
gical  and  affecting  in  itself,  was  blazoned  in  the  Ameri 
can  newspapers  with  every  amplification  that  could  ex 
cite  the  imagination  or  touch  the  heart ;  and  contributed 
in  no  slight  degree  to  embitter  the  minds  of  the  people 
against  those  who  could  degrade  themselves  by  the  aid 
of  such  allies.  The  impulse  given  to  the  public  mind 
by  such  atrocities  more  than  counterbalanced  any  ad 
vantages  which  the  British  derived  from  the  assistance 
of  the  Indians. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  us  to  dwell  longer  on  the  atro 
cities  perpetrated  by  the  Indian  allies  of  Burgoyne.  The 
result  of  his  campaign  belongs  to  the  general  history  of 
the  United  States.  We  pass  now  to  the  dreadful  mas 
sacre  at  Wyoming,  which  took  place  in  the  following 
year,  first  noting  an  exploit  of  Brant. 

In  the  spring  of  1778,  General  Lafayette  being  at 
Johnstown,  was  waited  upon  by  Colonel  Campbell  and 
Mr.  Wilson,  who  represented  the  exposed  situation  of 
Cherry  Valley.  Lafayette  directed  a  fort  to  be  built 
there,  which  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  fort  became 
a  retreat  for  the  surrounding  settlers  when  danger  threat 
ened.  It  became  an  object  with  Brant  to  destroy  this 
.little  fortress.  He  accordingly  lay  in  ambush  near  the 
place  with  a  party,  but  was  deterred  from  his  first  in 
tention  of  attack  by  mistaking  a  party  of  boys,  playing 
at  soldiers,  for  a  body  of  militia.  He  shot  Lieutenant 


r 


MASSACRE  AT  WYOMING.  241 

Wormwood,  however,  and  Captain  Peter  Sitz,  who 
passed  near  the  ambush  with  dispatches. 

Wyoming,  a  new  and  flourishing  settlement  on  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  Susquehannah,  was  destroyed  in 
July,  1778,  by  a  party  of  Indians  and  tories.  The  ter 
ritory  in  which  this  town  was  situated,  was  claimed 
by  two  states,  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut ;  and  thus 
the  security  of  the  inhabitants  was  destroyed.  From 
the  collision  of  contradictory  claims,  founded  on  royal 
charters,  the  laws  of  neither  were  enforced.  In  this  set 
tlement,  so  remote  from  any  others,  where  the  laws  werei 
but  feebly  enforced,  the  tories  were  under  less  control, 
and  could  meet  together  without  much  danger  of  being 
discovered.  Twenty-seven  of  them  were,  however^ 
taken  and  sent  to  Hartford  for  trial ;  but  they  were  af 
terwards  set  at  liberty.  These,  with  others  of  the  same 
description,  instigated  by  the  desire  of  revenge  against 
the  Americans,  from  whom  they  had  suffered  banish 
ment  and  loss  of  property,  joined  the  Indians,  and  at 
tacked  the  Wyoming  settlement;  their  combined  forces 
were  estimated  at  about  eleven  hundred,  of  whom  two 
hundred  were  tories.  The  whole  were  commanded  by 
Colonel  John  Butler,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken. 
One  of  the  forts,  being  very  weak,  surrendered  to  his 
party ;  but  a  part  of  the  garrison  had  previously  retired 
to  the  fort  at  Kingston,  called  Forty-Fort.  Colonel 
John  Butler  soon  appeared  and  demanded  the  surrender 
of  this  place.  Its  commander,  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler, 
a  continental  officer,  sent  him  a  message,  proposing  a 
conference  at  the  bridge  without  the  fort.  This  being 
agreed  to,  the  commander  and  some  other  officers  re 
paired  to  the  place  appointed ;  they  were  followed  by 
nearly  the  whole  garrison.  Not  finding  any  of  the  ene 
my  there,  the  Wyoming  people  advanced,  supposing 
that  the  enemy  were  retiring  before  them.  They  pro 
ceeded  forward  till  they  were  about  three  miles  from 
the  fort ;  they  then  saw  a  few  of  the  enemy,  whom  they 
fired  at ;  but  they  presently  found  that  they  had  fallen 
into  an  ambuscade.  They*  were  now  attacked  by  the 
whole  force  of  tories  and  Indians ;  but  fought  gallantly 


242  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

till  their  retreat  to  the  fort  was  entirely  cut  off.  They 
then  fell  into  the  greatest  confusion.  Out  of  four  hun' 
dred  and  seventeen  who  had  left  the  fort,  three  hundred 
and  sixty  were  instantly  slain.  No  quarter  was  given. 
Colonel  John  Butler  again  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  fort.  This  was  agreed  under  articles  of  capitula 
tion,  which  secured  to  the  people  in  the  fort  their  effects. 
The  garrison,  consisting  of  thirty  men  with  two  hundred 
women,  were  allowed  to  cross  the  river  and  retreat 
through  the  words  to  Northampton  county.  During 
this  retreat  they  suffered  many  hardships ;  several  wo 
men  were  taken  ill  in  the  woods,  and  a  scarcity  of 
provisions  prevailed  among  them.  The  houses  and 
barns  of  the  settlers  were  all  burned;  and  their  Jive- 
stock  either  killed  or  carried  away.  (See  Engraving  on 
the  opposite  page.) 

In  the  November  following,  a  massacre  of  the  same 
relentless  character  was  perpetrated  by  Brant  and  his 
tory  friends  in  Cherry  Valley.  With  a  force  of  seven 
hundred,  of  whom  five  hundred  were  his  own  warriors, 
Brant,  accompanied  by  Walter  Butler,  son  of  Colonel 
John  Butler,  approached  the  fort  on  the  9th  of  Novem 
ber,  1778.  Colonel  Ichabod  Alden  was  in  command  at 
the  fort ;  and  he  had  disregarded  certain  intimations  of 
danger,  and  discouraged  the  inhabitants  from  taking 
shelter  in  the  fort,  offering  to  keep  scouts  out  to  give 
the  alarm.  His  scouts  built  a  fire  and  lay  down  to 
sleep.  They  were  of  course  captured  by  Brant,  and 
the  surprise  wras  complete.  The  place  was  invested  in 
all  parts  at  once,  and  the  inhabitants  were  murdered 
with  every  circumstance  of  savage  barbarity.  Between 
thirty  and  forty  prisoners  were  carried  off.  Colonel 
Alden  paid  for  his  carelessness  with  his  life.  The  fort 
was  vigorously  assailed,  but  being  defended  by  two  hun 
dred  soldiers,  escaped  the  fate  of  the  village. 

Walter  Butler,  whose  cruelty  and  callousness  were 
conspicuous  in  this  massacre,  was  captured  in  an  affair  at 
Johnstown  in  1781.  On  his  crying  for  quarter,  an  Onei- 
da  Indian,  in  the  American  service,  screamed  out  "  Sher- 


(343) 


AMERICANS  CAPTURE  ST.  VINCENNES.  245 

ry  Valley !"  and,  at  the  same  moment,  clove  his  skull 
with  a  tomahawk. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this  affair,  Colonel  Butler, 
with  a  party  of  Pennsylvania  troops,  proceeded  on  an 
expedition  against  the  Indians.  Having,  on  the  1st  of 
October,  1778,  reached  the  head  of  the  Delaware,  he 
marched  down  that  river  for  two  days,  and  then  struck 
across  the  country  to  the  Susquehannah.  They  burnt 
the  Indian  villages  both  in  that  quarter  and  the  other 
settlements;  but  the  inhabitants  escaped.  Great  diffi 
culties  were  encountered  by  Colonel  Butler's  men  in 
this  expedition.  Their  provisions  were  carried  on 
their  backs,  and,  thus  loaded,  they  were  frequently 
obliged  to  wade  through  creeks  and  rivers.  When  their 
march  was  over,  they  were  compelled  to  endure  damp 
nights  and  heavy  rains  without  having  any  thing  to  pro 
tect  them.  Yet  the  expedition  was  successful,  and  in 
sixteen  days  returned.  About  a  month  after  Butler's 
return,  a  large  body  of  tories  and  Indians  made  an  at 
tack  on  Fort  Alden  in  Cherry  Valley,  within  the  state 
of  New  York.  The  fort  was  not  taken ;  but  the  enemy 
succeeded  in  killing  about  forty  persons,  among  whom 
were  Colonel  Arden  and  ten  of  his  soldiers^ 

An  expedition,  under  Henry  Hamilton,  lieutenant- 
governor  of  Detroit,  was  entirely  broken  up  through 
the  bold  and  spirited  conduct  of  Colonel  Clarke.  This 
expedition  was  intended  to  proceed  against  the  back 
settlers  of  Virginia,  and  a  great  many  Indians  were  en 
gaged  in  it.  But  Hamilton,  posting  himself  at  St.  Vin- 
cennes  for  the  winter,  that  he  might  have  every  thing 
ready  for  invading  the  American  settlements  as  soon  as 
the  season  would  permit,  had  weakened  himself  by  send 
ing  parties  of  Indians  against  the  frontier  settlers.  Clarke 
hearing  of  this  determined  to  attack  him.  After  sur 
mounting  a  great  many  obstacles,  he  suddenly  appeared 
before  St.Vincennes  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  men. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town  immediately  surrendered 

to  the  Americans,  and  assisted  them  in  taking  the  fort, 

(February  23d,  1779.)     The  next  day  Hamilton  and 

the  garrison  surrendered.     Clarke,  on  hearing  that  a 

23 


24(5  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

convoy  of  British  goods  was  on  its  way  from  Detroit, 
detached  a  party  of  sixty  men,  which  succeeded  in 
making  a  prize  of  the  whole.  By  this  spirited  attack, 
Colonel  Hamilton's  expedition  was  nipped  in  the  bud. 

Clarke  now  transmitted  some  letters  and  papers  to 
the  council  of  Virginia,  relating  to  Lieutenant  Governor 
Hamilton,  Philip  de  Jean,  Justice  of  Peace  for  Detroit, 
and  William  Lamothe,  captain  of  volunteers,  whom  he 
had  made  prisoners.  This  board  reported  that  Hamil 
ton  had  incited  the  Indians  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
United  States,  and  given  them  rewards  for  the  scalps 
they  had  taken ;  that  de  Jean  was  the  willing  instru 
ment  of  Hamilton ;  and  that  Lamothe  was  captain  of 
a  band  of  tories  and  Indians,  whom  he  had  ordered  to 
spare  neither  women  nor  children.  The  board,  there 
fore,  considered  them  as  fit  objects  for  retaliation,  and 
advised  the  governor  to  put  them  in  irons ;  confine  them 
in  a  dungeon  of  the  public  jail ;  debar  them  from  the 
use  of  pen,  ink,  and  paper ;  and  permit  them  to  con 
verse  with  no  one  except  the  keeper. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  Colonel  Van  Shaick,  with  a 
party  of  fifty-five  men,  destroyed  the  whole  of  the 
Onondaga  settlements,  consisting  of  about  fifty  houses, 
together  with  a  large  quantity  of  provisions.  In  this 
expedition  twelve  Indians  were  killed,  and  thirty-four 
taken  prisoners ;  while  not  a  single  man  of  the  Amer 
icans  was  lost. 

In  all  these  contests  the  greatest  cruelties  were  prac 
tised  by  the  Indians  upon  their  prisoners.  The  American 
refugees  who  had  fled  to  the  west,  took  part  with  the 
savages,  and  by  their  knowledge  of  the  settlements,  and 
their  resources,  did  the  Americans  a  great  deal  of  harm. 
Some  of  them  were  even  more  barbarous  than  the  In 
dians  themselves ;  they  often  assumed  the  dress  of  the 
savages ;  and,  under  the  name  of  loyalty,  perpetrated 
cruelties  that  had  heretofore  been  unheard  of. 

In  the  expeditions  that  had  been  made  against  the 
Indians,  a  great  many  of  them  had  been  destroyed ;  yet 
those  who  remained  were  not  intimidated,  and  still  con 
tinued  their  ravages.  It  was,  therefore,  resolved,  in  the 


COLONEL  CL>EKB.  Page  246. 


SULLIVAN  CHASTISES  THE  INDIANS  247 

year  1779,  to  carry  a  decisive  expedition  into  the  Indian 
country.  A  considerable  body  of  continental  troops 
was  selected  for  this  purpose,  and  placed  under  the  com 
mand  of  General  Sullivan. 

The  Six  Nations,  or  Mohawks,  were  the  objects  of 
this  expedition.  They  had  promised  the  Americans  to 
remain  neutral  in  the  war.  But  overcome  by  the  pre 
sents  and  promises  of  the  British  agents,  they  all,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Oneidas,  took  up  arms  against  the 
United  States.  From  their  vicinity  to  the  American 
settlements,  and  their  knowledge  of  the  country,  they 
were  enabled  to  do  much  harm. 

The  Indians,  on  hearing  of  the  expedition  projected 
against  them,  immediately  took  measures  to  resist  it. 
They  posted  themselves  on  an  advantageous  piece  of 
ground,  and  fortified  it  in  the  best  manner.  On  the  29th 
of  August,  General  Sullivan  appeared  before  their  works, 
and  immediately  began  the  attack.  The  Indians  resist 
ed  for  about  two  hours,  and  then  fled  without  making 
any  attempt  to  rally.  Their  consternation  was  so  great 
that  they  had  no  idea  of  making  any  further  resistance ; 
and  as  General  Sullivan  advanced  into  the  country, 
they  retreated  before  him.  The  Americans  were  so 
irritated  against  them,  that  officers  and  men  laboured 
equally  in  the  destruction  of  their  villages  and  corn 
fields  ;  so  that  when  the  expedition  was  ended,  there 
was  scarcely  a  house  left  standing,  or  an  Indian  to  be 
seen.  The  savages  were  thus  taught  that  they  could 
not  commit  their  depredations  with  impunity ;  and  their 
ardour  for  making  incursions  into  the  American  settle 
ments  was  damped. 

Meanwhile  several  detached  parties  of  Indians  had 
succeeded  in  distressing  different  settlements  in  tiie 
United  States.  A  party  of  Indians  and  tories,  eighty- 
seven  in  number,  under  the  command  of  Brant,  at 
tacked  the  Minnisink  settlement,  on  the  23d  of  July ;  and 
burnt  several  houses  and  barns.  A  party  of  one  hun 
dred  and  forty-nine  militia  pursued  them,  but  they  pro 
ceeded  with  so  little  caution  that  they  were  surprised 
and  defeated.  About  the  same  time  an  expedition  was 


248  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

undertaken  by  General  Williamson  and  Colonel  Pickens» 
both  of  South  Carolina,  into  the  Indian  country,  August 
22d,  1779  ;  they  burnt  the  corn  of  eight  towns  ;  and  in 
sisted  on  the  Indians  leaving  the  lands  which  they  there 
occupied,  and  removing  farther  into  the  country. 

In  the  same  month,  Colonel  Broadhead  left  Pittsburg 
with  six  hundred  men,  and  proceeded  against  the  Seneca 
and  Mingo  Indians ;  he  was  gone  more  than  a  month, 
and  destroyed  several  Indian  huts,  besides  five  hundred 
acres  of  corn. 

The  state  of  New  York  continued  to  suffer  from  in 
cursions  of  tories  and  Indians.  They  destroyed  nearly 
the  whole  town  of  Canajoharie,  about  fifty-six  miles 
from  Albany.  They  also  laid  waste  the  country  about 
the  Mohawk  river,  and  killed  several  persons. 

The  Cherokees  made  an  incursion  into  the  district 
of  Ninety-Six,  in  South  Carolina,  where  they  massa 
cred  several  families,  and  burned  a  number  of  houses. 
In  1781,  General  Pickens,  with  about  four  hundred 
mounted  men,  proceeded  into  their  country.  In  a 
fortnight  he  destroyed  thirteen  towns,  and  killed  up 
wards  of  forty  Indians,  besides  taking  several  prison 
ers.  The  vanquished  Cherokees  sued  for  peace,  but  it 
was  not  granted  them  till  they  promised  to  deliver  to 
the  Americans  all  persons  who  might  instigate  them  to 
take  up  arms  in  favour  of  the  British. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  in  1782,  a  party  of 
civilized  Indians,  settled  near  the  Muskingum,  were 
barbarously  massacred.  They  abhorred  war,  and  ad 
vised  the  other  Indians  to  remain  neutral.  This  so 
provoked  the  hostile  Indians,  that  they  carried  them 
away  from  the  Muskingum  to  Sandusky  Creek.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year,  finding  corn  to  be  scarce,  the  civilized 
Indians  obtained  permission  to  visit  their  old  habitations, 
and  collect  the  crops  they  had  planted  before  their  re 
moval. 

When  the  people  near  the  Monongahela  heard  that  a 
body  of  Indians  were  at  the  Moravian  towns  on  the 
Muskingum,  a  party  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  men 
crossed  the  Ohio,  and  without  inquiring  who  they  were 


MASSACRE  AT  THE  MORAVIAN  VILLAGES.          249 

put  ninety  of  them  to  death.  These  Indians  submitted 
to  their  hard  fate  without  attempting  to  destroy  their 
murderers,  who,  calling  themselves  Christians,  were 
more  worthy  the  name  of  savages  than  the  persons 
whom  they  had  so  barbarously  murdered. 

Soon  after  this  massacre,  a  party  of  Americans  set 
out  to  destroy  the  Indian  towns  near  Sandusky  ;  but  the 
Delawares  and  some  other  Indians  opposed  them.  A 
battle  ensued.  The  Indians  were  victorious ;  several 
Americans  were  killed  and  some  taken  prisoners. 
Among  the  latter  was  Colonel  Crawford.  He  was 
sacrificed  to  the  manes  of  those  Indians  who  had  been 
murdered  at  the  Moravian  towns;  and  the  rest  were 
put  to  death  with  the  tomahawk. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  this  war,  not  only  men 
were  massacred,  but  women  and  children  were  often 
put  to  death  in  the  most  horrible  manner.  Whole 
settlements  were  involved  in  promiscuous  desolation. 
Each  was  made  a  scourge  to  the  other ;  and  the  un 
avoidable  calamities  of  war  were  rendered  doubly  dis 
tressing  by  the  dispersion  of  families,  the  breaking  up 
of  settlements,  and  an  addition  of  savage  cruelties,  to 
the  most  extensive  devastation  of  those  things  which 
conduce  to  the  comfort  of  human  life. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


NORTH-WESTERN    WAR. 


(DURING  WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION.) 


EMOTE  from  the  seats 
of  commerce  and  civili 
zation,  the  hardy  pioneers 
of  the  western  country, 
after  the  termination  of 
the  revolutionary  strug 
gle,  had  still  a  bloody 
war  to  sustain  with  the 
savages  in  their  neigh 
bourhood.  When  peace 
was  concluded  with  Great 
Britain,  in  1783,  many  of 
the  Indian  tribes  on  the  north-western  frontier,  who  had 
been  in  alliance  with  that  power,  refused  to  lay  down 
the  hatchet,  and  continued  their  merciless  ravages  on 
the  border  settlers. 

Between  1783  and  1790,  according  to  estimates  ap 
parently  correct,  no  less  than  one  thousand  five  hundred 
men,  women,  and  children,  were  killed  or  captured  by 
the  Indians  upon  the  waters  of  the  Ohio.  More  than 
two  thousand  horses  were  stolen  from  the  inhabitants; 
an  immense  number  of  farms  and  plantations  were 
desolated ;  boats  passing  on  the  river  were  constantly 
plundered,  and  their  crews  murdered ;  and  property  to 
an  unknown  amount  was  destroyed  by  the  savage  foe. 
Every  effort  which  a  humane  policy  could  dictate  had 
been  made  to  restore  peace  by  negotiation;  but  the 

(2.50) 


DEFEAT  OF  GENERAL  HARMAR.  25 i 

Indians  were  stimulated  to  these  aggressions  by  the 
British  agents,  and  supplied  with  arms  and  sheltered 
under  the  guns  of  the  forts  which  Great  Britain,  in  de 
fiance  of  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty,  still  continued  to 
hold  within  our  territory ;  and  they  scornfully  refused  to 
listen  to  any  terms  of  conciliation. 

They  still  committed  many*ravages  upon  the  western 
frontier,  and  the  most  horrible  cruelties  were  perpetrat 
ed  by  them  on  the  inhabitants.  It  finally  was  found  ne 
cessary  to  reduce  them  by  force  of  arms.  An  expedi 
tion  was  accordingly  sent  out  in  1791,  for  the  purpose 
of  destroying  the  Indian  settlements  on  the  Scioto  and 
Wabash.  This  expedition  consisted  of  fourteen  hun 
dred  and  fifty  men,  under  the  command  of  General  Har- 
mar.  Colonel  Harden  was  dispatched  by  the  com 
mander  with  two  hundred  and  ten  militia  and  thirty 
regulars,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  Indians  to  ac 
tion.  His  party  was  attacked  by  them  about  ten  miles 
from  Chillicothe,  and,  on- the  first  fire,  the  militia  fled. 
The  regulars,  however,  maintained  their  ground;  but 
they  were  overpowered  by  numbers,  and  only  seven  of 
them  made  their  escape,  leaving  the  remaining  twenty- 
three  dead  on  the  field.  The  ardour  of  the  army  was 
damped  by  this  disaster ;  but  it  marched  forward  and 
destroyed  the  towns  on  the  Scioto.  After  this,  Colonel 
Harden  was  again  dispatched  for  the  purpose  of  bring 
ing  the  Indians  to  a  general  engagement ;  he  was  again 
met  and  defeated  with  a  great  loss,  (one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  and  twelve  officers.)  The  survivors  retreated 
to  the  main  army. 

The  Indians,  becoming  emboldened  by  these  successes, 
now  committed  greater  ravages  than  before.  The 
whole  western  frontier  was  in  a  state  of  alarm.  Hardly 
a  day  passed  without  a  report  being  heard  of  some  one 
murdered  or  some  village  burnt;  and  next  year  (1791) 
the  government  of  the  United  States  determined  to  take 
some  decisive  measures.  General  Arthur  St.  Clair  was 
accordingly  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  a  large 
army,  whose  object  was  to  destroy  the  Indian  villages  on 
the  Miami,  and  to  expel  the  savages  from  the  country. 


S52  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  army,  consisting  of  about  two  thousand  men,  march 
ed  from- Fort  Washington  (built  on  the  site  where  Cincin 
nati  now  is)  on  the  7th  of  September,  and  advanced  to 
wards  the  Indian  settlements.  When  they  approached 
near  the  enemy,  a  body  of  the  militia  deserted ;  Major 
Hamtramck  was  detached  to  pursue  them.  The  army 
was  by  this  means  reduced  to  fourteen  hundred  men ; 
they,  however,  proceeded  on  their  march,  and  on  the 
3d  of  November  encamped  on  an  elevated  piece  of 
ground  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Miami.  The 
Indians  shortly  afterwards  made  an  attack  on  the  mili 
tia,  who  fled  into  the  camp  and  caused  confusion  among 
the  regulars.  The  enemy  now  improved  the  advan 
tage  they  had  gained.  Sheltering  themselves  behind 
the  trees  and  beneath  the  thick  underwood,  they  poured 
in  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  Americans,  while  they 
themselves  were  scarcely  ever  to  be  seen. 

General  St.  Clair  was  at  this  time  suffering  under  a 
painful  disease ;  but  he  delivered  his  orders  with  a  per 
fect  calmness  and  self-possession.  Attempts  were  made 
to  dislodge  the  enemy  by  the  use  of  the  bayonet,  but 
without  success.  Meanwhile  General  Butler  had  been 
killed,  and  nearly  all  the  artillery  seized  by  the  Indians. 
Another  charge  was  made  with  the  bayonet,  and  the 
artillery  recovered.  While  the  enemy  were  driven  from 
one  point,  they  poured  a  deadly  fire  upon  the  Americans 
from  another.  A  great  part  of  the  army  was  now  un 
able  to  continue  the  fight  on  account  of  their  wounds, 
while  a  great  many  more  had  been  killed. 

St.  Clair  now  saw  that  nothing  could  be  done  but  to 
endeavour  to  save  the  remnant  of  the  army.  A  retreat 
was  therefore  ordered;  and  the  Indians  pursued  them 
for  about  four  miles ;  and  then  returned  to  the  camp  to 
share  the  spoil.  The  vanquished  troops  fled  to  Fort 
Jefferson,  left  their  wounded  there,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Fort  Washington. 

The  loss  in  this  battle  was  very  great.  Thirty-eight 
officers  were  killed  on  the  field,  and  five  hundred  and 
ninety-three  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates 
were  either  slain  or  missing.  The  number  of  Indians 


WAYNE  PROCEEDS  AGAINST  THE  INDIANS.          253 

engaged  is  not  exactly  known.  It  is  supposed  that  there 
were  about  fifteen  hundred ;  and  their  loss  is  believed 
to  have  been  much  less  than  that  of  the  Americans. 
The  leader  of  the  Indians  on  this  occasion,  as  well  as 
in  the  defeat  of  General  Harmar,  was  the  Miami  chief, 
Little  Turtle,  a  very  celebrated  personage. 

The  English  are  supposed  to  have  instigated  the  In 
dians  to  this  engagement,  and  even  to  have  led  them  on. 
But  this  matter  has  never  been  satisfactorily  settled. 
The  land  for  which  the  Indians  fought  had  been  the 
property  of  their  forefathers  for  many  preceding  ages. 
Though  they  had  ceded  it  to  the  United  States,  they 
still  hankered  after  it,  and  finally  determined  to  keep, 
at  all  hazards,  the  country  where  the  bones  of  their  an 
cestors  were  deposited,  and  where  they  drew  their  first 
breath.  In  the  attempts  to  treat  with  them,  which  fol 
lowed  this  defeat  of  St.  Glair's,  they  insisted  on  the  Ohio 
river  being  considered  the  boundary  of  their  territory  ; 
i.  e.,  they  claimed  the  whole  state  of  Ohio  and  all  the 
country  west  of  it,  for  themselves  ostensibly,  for  the 
British  really.  Peace  on  such  terms  was  out  of  the 
question. 

The  Indian  war  had  now  a  very  serious  aspect.  A 
bill  was  introduced  into  the  House  of  Representatives 
directing  three  additional  regiments  of  infantry,  and  a 
squadron  of  cavalry  to  be  raised  for  three  years,  if  not 
sooner  discharged.  This  bill,  after  a  great  deal  of  dis- 
cussiqn,  was  finally  passed.  By  it,  the  military  force 
of  the  United  States  was  fixed  at  five  thousand  men. 
Several  months  elapsed  before  these  could  be  raised. 
General  Wayne  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  in 
place  of  General  St.  Clair,  who  had  resigned.  While 
preparations  were  in  progress  for  another  campaign, 
measures  were  taken  to  end  the  war  in  a  pacific  manner. 
Two  envoys  were  sent  into  the  Indian  territory  with 
offers  of  peace ;  but  they  were  both  murdered.  It  there 
fore  became  necessary  again  to  attempt  their  defeat  by 
force  of  arms. 

General  Wayne  advanced  as  far  as  the  ground  on 
which  St.  Clair  had  been  defeated,  as  it  was  too  late  in 
24 


254  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  season  to  prosecute  the  objects  of  the  expedition. 
He  erected  a  fort  there,  which  he  called  Fort  Recovery ; 
and  spent  the  time  in  disciplining  his  troops.  The  In 
dians,  expecting  an  attack  upon  their  villages,  had  col 
lected  in  force,  with  a  determination  to  fight  in  their  de 
fence.  On  the  8th  of  August,  Wayne  reached  the  con 
fluence  of  the  Au  Glaize  and  the  Miamis  of  the  lake, 
without  opposition.  He  here  threw  up  some  works  of 
defence.  The  Indians  had  collected  at  the  British  post 
on  the  Miamis  of  the  lakes,  (a  British  post,  let  it  be 
remembered,  on  American  ground,)  at  about  thirty 
miles  distance,  to  the  number  of  two  thousand  men. 
Wayne  now  made  one  more  effort  for  the  attainment 
of  peace  without  bloodshed ;  but  was  unsuccessful.  He 
therefore  cautiously  proceeded  down  the  Miami,  and 
on  the  20th  of  August  a  decisive  engagement  took 
place.  The  Indians  were  posted  in  a  wood  in  front  of 
the  British  works,  which  were  inaccessible  to  the  cav 
alry.  They  were  drawn  up  in  their  lines  so  near  as  to 
support  each  other.  Wayne  ordered  the  front  of  his 
army  to  advance  with  their  bayonets  and  drive  the  ene 
my  from  their  hiding-places,  and  then  to  deliver  their 
fire  and  press  the  fugitives  so  vigorously  as  not  to  allow 
them  time  to  load.  So  rapid  was  the  charge,  and  so 
entirely  was  the  enemy  broken  by  it,  that  in  the  course 
of  one  hour  they  were  driven  more  than  two  miles 
through  thick  woods  to  within  gunshot  of  the  British 
fort.  Little  Turtle,  who  bore  a  conspicuous  parkin  the 
fight,  had  opposed  the  other  chiefs  in  council  when  they 
decided  on  giving  battle.  His  opposition  was  silenced 
by  another  chief  charging  him  with  cowardice.  The 
event  showed  his  wisdom. 

General  Wayne  remained  for  three  days  in  front  of 
the  field  of  battle,  laying  waste  the  houses  and  corn 
fields  of  the  Indians.  He  then  returned  to  Au  Glaiz6 
and  destroyed  the  villages  and  corn  within  fifty  miles 
of  the  river.  General  Wayne  lost  in  the  battle  one  hun 
dred  and  seven  men  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  loss 
of  the  Indians  is  unknown ;  but  they  were  driven  out  of 


EFFECTS  OF  WAYNE'S  VICTORY. 


255 


their  country,  and  forts  erected  in  it  to  prevent  their  re 
turn. 

This  decisive  victory  may  be  considered  as  closing 
the  wars  of  the  Indians  at  that  period  in  the  United 
States.  The  other  Indian  nations,  which  had  shown  some 
symptoms  of  hostility,  now  became  quiet  and  peace 
able.  The  power  of  the  United  States,  to  restrain  and 
punish  their  enemies,  became  known  among  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  had  a  decided  influence  on  their  conduct. 

General  Wayne  soon  after  concluded  treaties  with 
the  Indians  on  the  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  by  which 
peace  was  restored  to  the  contending  parties  on  terms 
satisfactory  to  both ;  and  the  western  frontier,  no  longer 
at  open  war  with  the  Indians,  was  soon  peopled  by  emi 
grants  from  the  eastern  states,  who  came  hither  to  seek 
their  fortunes. 


CHAPTER   XVII 


TIPPECANOE    WAR. 


ENTUCKY,  Ohio,  ana 
the  other  western  states, 
were  by  no  means  entire 
ly  exempted  from  the  hor 
rors  of  Indian  warfare, 
by  the  effects  of  General 
Wayne's  decisive  victory. 
British  Influence  was  still 
exerted  to  embroil  the 
frontier  settlers  of  the 
west  with  .  the  natives  ; 
and  as  the  disputes  respecting  the  orders  in  council, 
and  the  impressment  of  seamen,  rendered  the  approach 
of  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States 
more  probable,  the  outrages  of  the  savages  increased 
in  frequency  and  boldness.  But  British  influence  was 
not  the  only  exciting  cause  for  Indian  hostilities.  There 
were  two  Indians,  who  appear  to  have  emulated  the 
fame  of  king  Philip  in  their  systematic  and  determined 
hostility  to  the  United  States.  These  were  Tecumseh 
and  his  brother,  the  Prophet.  The  following  account 
of  these  personages  is  extracted  from  Judge  Hall's  excel 
lent  work,  the  Memoir  of  the  public  services  of  William 
Henry  Harrison. 

"  In  the  year  1806,  the  celebrated  impostor  Ol-li-wa- 
chi-ca,  the  prophet,  called  by  some  writers,  from  what 
authority  we  know  not,  Els-kwa-taw-a,  and  his  distin 
guished  brother  Tecumthe,  began  to  disturb  the  frontier 
of  Indiana,  by  a  series  of  intrigues  which  produced  the 

(256) 


TECUMSEH.  257 

most  calamitous  results.  Tecumthe  had  matured  a  plan, 
suggested  to  him,  as  is  said,  by  the  celebrated  Red  Jack 
et, — a  plan  which  the  great  Pontiac  had  attempted  in 
vain,  and  which  Little  Turtle,  another  lofty  spirit,  was 
supposed  to  ^.ve  favoured — to  unite  all  the  western 
tribes  in  a  league  against  the  white  people,  under  the 
vain  expectation  that  the  combined  Indian  force  would 
be  sufficient  to  destroy  all  the  western  settlements,  and 
drive  the  whites  out  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi.  To  effect  this  object,  that  crafty  and  daring  war 
rior  traversed  the  whole  frontier,  visited  the  different 
tribes,  appealed  earnestly  to  their  prejudices,  stirred  up 
the  recollection  of  their  wrongs,  and  exerted  upon  them 
the  subtle  diplomacy,  and  masterly  eloquence,  in  both 
which  he  was  so  consummately  skilled. 

The  two  brothers,  who  were  born  at  the  same  birth, 
differed  widely  in  character,  but  were  well  fitted  to  act 
together  in  the  prosecution  of  such  an  enterprise.  The 
Indian  name  of  the  prophet  signified  literally  « a  door 
opened,9  in  allusion  probably  to  the  way  of  deliverance 
he  was  expected  to  point  out  to  the  red  men ;  while  the 
interpretation  of  the  word  Tecumthe  is,  sa  panther 
crouching.'  , 

Tecumthe  was  a  daring  and  sagacious  man — a  shrewd 
and  fluent  orator,  an  able  military  chief,  and  a  success 
ful  negotiator.  He  was  full  of  enthusiasm,  and  fertile 
of  expedient.  He  possessed  an  intuitive  hatred  towards 
the  white  men,  against  whom  he  had  sworn  eternal  ven 
geance,  and  with  whom  he  held  himself  bound  to  ob 
serve  no  measures  of  conciliation,  until  the  purposes  to 
which  he  had  devoted  himself  should  be  accomplished. 
Peculiarly  gifted  in  that  kind  of  tact  which  distinguishes 
the  artful  demagogue,  he  appealed  successfully  to  the 
people — touched  artfully  upon  topics  which  awakened 
the  vanity,  the  hatred,  or  the  love  of  plunder  of  the  In 
dian  ;  and  though  the  chiefs  held  back  from  motives  of 
policy,  and  the  old  men  paused  at  the  prospect  of  a  war 
fare  which  would  cut  off  their  annuities,  and  expose 
them  to  the  vengeance  of  a  powerful  nation,  the  young 
er  warriors  panted  to  follow  him  to  the  spoil  of  the 
R 


258  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

white  man.  Th^  daring  and  improvident,  the  indolent, 
the  thoughtless,  and  the  intemperate — all  the  loose  ele 
ments  of  society  in  the  native  villages — those  who  were 
careless  of  consequences,  and  to  whom  no  change  could 
be  productive  of  injury  —  these  were  especially  the 
minds  to  which  Tecumthe  addressed  himself;  while  to 
the  more  prudent  class  he  used  arguments  which  at 
least  won  their  respect,  and  in  some  measure  disarmed 
opposition. 

The  Prophet  possessed  none  of  the  manly  qualities 
of  Tecumthe.  He  had  no  name  in  war,  and  was  an 
indifferent  hunter.  He  was  crafty,  cruel,  pusillanimous, 
and  haughty.  He  was  also  lazy  and  sensual,  and,  un 
der  various  pretexts,  obtained  a  livelihood  by  extorting 
supplies  of  food  and  other  necessaries  from  the  Indians. 
A  variety  of  accidental  circumstances  gave  him  an  as 
cendency  over  the  Indians,  which  his  own  talents  could 
not  have  earned — the  condition  of  the  frontier,  the  su 
perstition  of  the  savages,  and  the  powerful  protection 
of  Tecumthe,  who  affected  to  treat  his  brother  as  a  su 
perior  being. 

The  superior  mind  of  Tecumthe  had  obtained  a  com 
plete  mastery  over  that  of  the  Prophet ;  and  when  in 
council  together,  the  latter  never  spoke.  He  was,  how 
ever,  a  better  speaker  than  Tecumthe,  and  his  manner 
is  said  to  have  been  more  graceful  than  that  of  any 
other  Indian.  Without  the  dignity  of  Tecumthe,  he 
possessed  more  persuasion  and  plausibility. 

The  project  of  governing  the  Indians  through  the 
medium  of  a  person  supposed  to  be  in  immediate  com 
munication  with  the  Great  Spirit,  probably  originated 
with  Tecumthe,  who  found  a  suitable  instrument  in  his 
cunning  and  unprincipled  brother.  The  Shawanese,  to 
which  tribe  they  belonged,  had  long  held  the  belief  that 
they  were  the  favourite  tribe,  in  the  estimation  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  In  a  speech  made  to  Governor  Harrison 
in  1803,  an  old  man  of  that  nation  said  that  the  Shaw 
anese  had  once  possessed  all  the  knowledge  in  the  world, 
but  that  having  offended  the  Great  Spirit,  he  had  taken 
it  from  them  and  lent  it  to  the  white  people,  who  would 


THE  TIPPECANOE  WAR.  25S 

soon  be  obliged  to  surrender  it  to  the  Shawanese.  Act- 
ing  upon  this  delusion,  the  Prophet  commenced  a  series 
of  incantations,  and  from  time  to  time  communicated 
the  supposed  results  of  his  intercourse  with  the  Great 
Spirit.  He  uttered  the  most  extravagant  prophecies,  in 
reference  to  the  speedy  downfall  of  the  whites,  the  re 
storation  of  the  Indians  to  all  their  former  hunting- 
grounds,  and  the  resumption  of  the  customs  of  their  an 
cestors.  To  hasten  this  desirable  end,  the  Indians  were 
admonished  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  alt  articles  man 
ufactured  by  the  whites,  and  to  cease  their  intercourse 
with  that  hated  race.  Tecumthe  acted  upon  this  plan. 
He  seldom  ate  with  a  white  man,  and  uniformly  de 
clined  all  articles  of  food  which  were  peculiar  to  our 
tables,  unless  when  necessity  compelled  him  to  eat  them." 

The  result  of  these  intrigues  was  the  famous  Tippe- 
canoe  war. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1811,  a  combination  of 
Indians,  instigated  by  Tecumthe  and  the  Prophet,  began 
a  system  of  ravages  upon  the  American  territory,  which 
made  it  necessary  that  the  government  should  immedi 
ately  take  measures  for  the  protection  of  its  citizens. 
For  this  purpose  a  small  force  of  regulars  and  militia 
was  assembled  at  Vincennes,  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  governor  of 
the  Indian  territory,  with  instructions  to  march  im 
mediately  to  the  Prophet's  town,  and  demand  a  resto 
ration  of  the  property  carried  off  by  his  partisans.  He 
was  also  authorized  to  obtain  redress  by  coercive  mea 
sures  if  necessary. 

Accordingly  he  marched  into  the  enemy's  country, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  November  encamped 
within  nine  miles  of  the  Prophet's  town.  The  next 
morning  he  resumed  his  march,  but  no  Indians  were 
discovered  till  he  had  arrived  within  six  miles  of  the 
town.  The  interpreters  were  then  placed  with  the  ad 
vanced  guard  in  order  to  open  a  communication  witn 
them  if  possible.  But  their  efforts  were  vain.  Parties 
of  Indians  were  frequently  seen,  but  they  paid  no  atten 
tion  to  the  invitation  of  the  Americans ;  and  all  theii 


260  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

attempts  to  open  a  communication  and  come  to  an  un 
derstanding  with  them  were  vain.  When  they  came 
within  two  miles  of  the  town,  the  path  descended  a  steep 
hill,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  small  creek  running 
through  a  narrow  wet  prairie ;  and,  beyond  this,  a  level 
plain  partially  covered  with  oak  timber,  and  without 
underbrush.  This  was  a  very  good  situation  for  the 
savages  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  Americans,  and 
Harrison,  supposing  he  would  be  assailed,  proceeded 
with  the  greatest  caution.  His  march  was,  however, 
not  interrupted,  and  he  arrived  safely  before  the  town. 
He  now  sent  Captain  Dubois  to  the  Prophet  to  treat  for 
peace.  But  in  a  few  moments  he  returned,  and  stated 
that  the  Indians  were  near  in  considerable  numbers,  but 
would  make  no  answer  to  the  interpreter,  though  they 
were  near  enough  to  hear  what  was  said. 

Harrison  resolved  no  longer  to  hesitate  about  treat 
ing  the  Indians  as  enemies.  He  therefore  ranged  his 
troops  in  order  of  battle,  and  was  marching  against 
them,  when  he  met  with  three  Indians  sent  to  him  by 
the  Prophet.  An  interview  was  held  with  them ;  and, 
after  some  consideration,  it  was  resolved  that  no  hos 
tilities  should  take  place  before  next  morning,  when  a 
conference  should  be  held  with  tj^e  principal  chiefs,  and 
terms  of  peace  agreed  on.  The  army  now  proceeded 
to  a  creek  north-west  of  the  village,  and  bivouacked  on 
a  bank  of  dry  oak  land,  considerably  elevated,  and  situ 
ated  between  two  prairies.  The  infantry,  in  two  co 
lumns,  occupied  the  front  and  rear,  separated  on  the 
left,  one  hundred  and  eighty  yards,  and  on  the  right, 
about  half  that  distance.  The  left  flank  was  covered 
by  two  companies  of  mounted  riflemen,  containing  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  rank  and  file,  commanded  by  Major- 
General  Wells  of  Kentucky ;  and  the  right  flank  by 
Spencer's  troop  of  mounted  riflemen,  to  the  number  of 
eighty.  The  front  line  was  composed  of  one  battalion 
of  the  fourth  regiment  of  the  United  States'  infantry, 
under  the  command  of  Major  Floyd,  flanked  on  the 
right  by  two  companies  of  militia,  and  on  the  left  by 
one.  The  rear  line  was  formed  of  another  battalion  of 


BATTLE  OF  TJPPECANOE.  261 

the  fourth  United  States'  infantry,  under  Colonel  Baen, 
acting  major,  flanked  by  four  companies  of  militia,  un 
der  Lieutenant-Colonel  Decker.  Two  troops  of  dra 
goons,  sixty  strong,  took  post  in  the  rear  of  the  left 
flank ;  and  another,  somewhat  stronger,  in  the  rear  of 
the  front  line.  To  guard  against  a  night  attack,  the  or 
der  of  encampment  was  appointed  the  order  of  battle; 
and  each  man  rested  upon  his  arms. 

The  order  given  to  the  army,  in  the  event  of  a  night 
attack,  was  for  each  corps  to  maintain  its  ground  at  all 
hazards  till  relieved.  The  dragoons  were  directed  in 
such  case  to  parade  dismounted,  with  their  swords  on 
and  their  pistols  in  their  belts,  and  to  wait  for  orders. 
The  guard  for  the  night  consisted  of  two  captains'  com 
mands  of  twenty-four  men  and  four  non-commissioned 
officers ;  and  two  subalterns'  guards  of  twenty  men  and 
non-commissioned  officers — the  whole  under  the  com 
mand  of  a  field  officer  of  the  day. 

Just  before  reveille,  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  Novem 
ber,  1811,  an  attack  commenced  on  the  left  flank,  and  the 
piquets  were  driven  in.  The  first  notice  of  the  enemy's 
approach  was  the  usual  yell  of  the  savages,  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  line.  They  had  violated  the  armistice 
agreed  upon,  to  subsist  until  the  ensuing  day ;  which,  it 
would  seem,  they  had  proposed  with  a  view  to  gain  an 
opportunity  of  surprising  their  adversaries  in  their  usual 
manner.  Nothing  but  the  precaution  of  encamping  in 
order  of  battle,  and  the  deliberate  firmness  of  the  officers 
in  counteracting  the  effects  of  a  surprise,  saved  the  army 
from  total  defeat.  The  storm  first  fell  upon  Captain 
Barton's  regulars  and  Captain  Geiger's  mounted  rifle 
men,  forming  the  left  angle  on  the  rear  line.  Some  In 
dians  forced  themselves  through  the  line  and  penetrated 
into  the  encampment,  where  they  were  killed.  The 
companies,  thus  suddenly  and  severely  attacked,  were 
reinforced  with  all  possible  speed.  A  heavy  fire  then 
opened,  to  the  left  of  the  front,  immediately  on  the  reg 
ular  companies  of  Captains  Baen,  Snelling,  and  Pres- 
cot.  A  gallant  charge  by  the  cavalry,  from  the  rear 
of  the  front  line,  under  Major  Davies,  was  ordered  foi 


262  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  purpose  of  breaking  the  Indians,  who  appeared  in 
great  force  among  some  trees  a  few  yards  distant  in 
front.  The  major  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  his 
men  were  driven  back  by  superior  numbers  of  the  ene 
my.  Captain  Snelling's  company  then  charged  with 
fixed  bayonets,  and  the  enemy  were  dislodged.  The 
enemy's  fire  now  extended  along  the  left  flank,  the  whole 
of  the  front,  the  right  flank,  and  part  of  the  rear  line. 
Upon  Spencer's  mounted  riflemen,  and  the  right  of  War 
wick's  company,  it  was  excessively  heavy.  Captain 
Spencer  and  his  first  and  second  lieutenants  were  kill 
ed  ;  and  Captain  Warwick  fell,  mortally  wounded.  The 
troops,  notwithstanding  the  fall  of  their  officers,  bravely 
maintained  their  posts  until  reinforced.  Day  approach 
ed,  when  Major  Wells,  reconnoitring  the  position  of  the 
enemy  on  the  left,  charged  and  broke  them.  At  this 
favouring  moment,  a  small  detachment  from  the  caval 
ry  dashed  furiously  upon  the  retreating  Indians,  and 
precipitated  them  into  the  marsh.  (See  Engraving  on 
the  opposite  page.)  Simultaneously  with  these  success 
ful  efforts  on  the  left,  the  enemy  were  charged  on  the 
right  by  the  companies  of  Captain  Cook  and  Lieutenant 
Larabie,  supported  by  the  mounted  riflemen,  who  pur 
sued  and  killed  a  number  of  Indians  in  their  flight. 
Driven  now  at  all  points,  and  pursued  as  far  as  the 
ground  would  admit,  the  Indians  dispersed  in  every  di 
rection.  They  were  handled  so  severely  in  the  retreat, 
that  they  were  compelled  to  abandon  many  of  their 
killed  and  wounded  on  the  field,  which  is,  with  them, 
evidence  of  positive  defeat.  Forty  Indians  were  found 
dead  on  the  field.  Numbers  were  carried  off,  some  ot 
whom  were  discovered  the  next  day,  in  holes  containing 
two,  three, and  four  bodies,  covered, to  conceal  them  from 
the  victorious  army.  The  general  estimated  their  loss, 
in  killed  and  wounded,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty.  Such 
was  the  famous  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  Tecumseh  was 
not  engaged  in  this  battle,  being  absent  from  that  region 
on  an  excursion  in  the  south. 

During  the  time  of  the  contest,  the  Prophet  kept  him 
self  secure  un  an  adjacent  eminence,  singing  a  war- 


(263) 


DEATH  OF  MAJOR  DA  VIES.  265 

song.  He  had  told  his  followers  that  the  Great  Spirit 
would  render  the  army  of  the  Americans  unsuccessful, 
and  that  their  bullets  would  not  hurt  the  Indians,  wno 
would  have  light,  while  the  enemies  would  be  involved 
in  thick  darkness.  Soon  after  the  battle  commenced, 
he  was  informed  that  his  men  were  falling.  He  told 
them  to  fight,  it  would  soon  be  as  he  predicted,  and  then 
began  to  sing  louder. 

The  troops  throughout  displayed  the  greatest  bravery, 
and  effectually  resisted  one  of  the  most  furious  assaults 
ever  experienced  in  savage  warfare.  They  were  saved 
only  by  their  soldierly  conduct.  Had  a  panic,  in  the  first 
onset  of  the  savages,  produced  disorder,  they  would  pro 
bably,  to  a  man,  have  become  the  victims  of  the  most 
merciless  of  foes.  Their  loss  was  severe,  both  in  offi 
cers  and  men,  viz.,  one  aid-de-camp,  one  captain,  two 
subalterns,  one  serjeant,  two  corporals,  and  thirty  pri 
vates  killed ;  two  lieutenant-colonels,  one  adjutant,  one 
assistant  surgeon,  two  captains,  three  subalterns,  nine 
Serjeants,  five  corporals,  one  musician,  and  one  hundred 
and  two  privates  wounded ;  besides  one  major,  two  cap 
tains  mortally. 

Major  Da  vies  fell  early  in  the  action,  greatly  lament 
ed  by  all  his  associates.  He  held  the  first  standing  in 
Kentucky,  as  a  lawyer  and  an  orator.  In  the  field  he 
was  brave  to  desperation,  and  in  his  death  a  hero.  The 
legislature  of  Kentucky,  in  testimony  of  their  regret  for 
the  loss  of  Davies,  Owens,  and  other  volunteers,  who 
were  slain  in  this  engagement,  resolved  to  wear  mourn 
ing  for  thirty  days ;  and  appointed  John  Rowan,  Esq., 
to  deliver,  in  the  capitol,  a  funeral  oration,  in  honour  of 
the  deceased. 

Governor  Harrison,  on  the  9th  of  November,  having 
burned  the  town,  and  laid  waste  the  surrounding  settle 
ment,  from  which  he  obliged  the  defeated  enemy  to  fly, 
returned  with  his  forces  into  the  settled  country.  The 
Prophet  was  immediately  abandoned  by  his  followers, 
who,  on  his  defeat,  lost  all  faith  in  his  supernatural  pre 
tensions.  Even  his  life  was  endangered  by  the  sudden 
change  in  the  feelings  of  those  whom  he  had  too  sue- 


266 


INDIAN  WAilS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


cessfully  deluded.  Most  of  the  Indian  tribes  who  had 
been  influenced  by  his  impious  pretensions,  after  his  ex 
pulsion  from  his  imagined  sanctuary,  offered  their  sub 
mission,  and  sued  for  peace. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


NORTH-WESTERN    WAR. 


(1812  and  1813.) 


IHE  calm  that  succeeded 
the  battle  of  Tippecanoe 
was  but  of  short  duration. 
The  Indians  were  not  con 
ciliated;  they  had  been 
overpowered  ;  and  they 
still  bore  an  unquenchable 
hatred  to  the  people  of 
the  United  States.  Wher* 
war  was  declared,  June 
18th,  1812,  against  Great 
Britain,  they  again  broke  out,  devastated  the  whole  of 
the  western  frontier,  and  committed  the  most  horrible 
cruelties  and  murders ;  so  that  in  a  short  time  many  of 
the  inhabitants  deserted  their  homes,  and  sought  safety 
in  flight. 

After  the  capture  of  Hull,  the  frontier  was  still  more 
exposed  than  formerly  to  the  ravages  of  the  Indians. 
General  Harrison,  who  had  been  appointed  major-gen 
eral  in  the  Kentucky  militia,  in  compliance  with  the 
unanimous  desire  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  the  western 
country,  hearing  that  Fort  Wayne  was  invested  by  a 


INDIAN  CHIEFS. 


Page  266. 


" 


!K,ON  ROOST  FORK. 


Page  267 


INDIAN  OUTRAGES  2G7 

arge  body  of  the  savages,  hastened  to  its  relief.  But 
when  he  had  approached  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
fort,  the  enemy  retreated ;  and  he  thus  had  the  honour 
of  relieving  that  place  without  the  shedding  of  blood. 
Shortly  after  this  event  General  Winchester  was  ap 
pointed  commander  of  the  army  instead  of  Harrison; 
this  appointment  occasioned  much  uneasiness  among 
the  troops ;  and  it  required  all  Harrison's  influence  to 
reconcile  the  army  to  the  change. 

Winchester,  however,  enjoyed  the  command  but  a 
short  time.  When  the  president  heard  that  it  was  the 
wish  of  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  western  states 
that  Harrison  should  be  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army,  he  appointed  him  to  that  situation,  and  intrusted 
him  with  powers  and  responsibilities  the  most  weighty 
and  delicate.  No  other  person,  except  Washington  and 
Greene,  had  ever  been  entrusted  with  such  absolute 
authority  as  he  now  exercised. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  a  body  of  Kickapoo  and 
Winnebago  Indians  assembled  at  Fort  Harrison,  on 
the  Wabash,  and  endeavoured  by  treacherous  pretences 
of  friendship  to  gain  admission.  The  commander,  Cap 
tain  Jeremy  Taylor,  was  not,  however,  deceived  by 
them,  but  kept  his  garrison  ready  to  defend  the  post ; 
and  on  the  next  day  the  Indians  made  an  assault ;  but 
were  gallantly  repulsed. 

Irritated  at  this  defeat,  a  large  party  of  them  broke 
into  the  settlements  on  the  Pigeon  Roost  Fork  of  White 
River,  where  they  massacred,  in  the  most  horrible  man 
ner,  twenty-one  persons,  including  women  and  children. 
Shortly  after,  an  escort  of  thirteen  men,  bearing  pro 
visions,  was  also  surprised,  and  the  whole  of  the  party 
murdered. 

Similar  atrocities  having  been  committed  in  the  Illi 
nois  and  Missouri  territories,  Governor  Edwards  of 
Illinois  made  appeals  to  the  general  government,  as 
well  as  to  the  governors  of  the  neighbouring  states,  for 
assistance. 

Governor  Shelby,  whose  zealous  patriotism  has  ren 
dered  his  name  so  conspicuous  in  the  annals  of  this 
25 


268  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

war,  made  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the  people  of  Ken 
tucky,  calling  on  them  for  assistance.  This  appeal  was 
not  without  effect,  for  two  thousand  men  were  imme 
diately  assembled  at  Louisville,  and  other  points  on  the 
Ohio — while  so  great  was  the  excess  of  numbers  that 
many  were  turned  back;  and  one  veteran  belonging 
to  a  company  whose  services  were  not  accepted, 
after  venting  his  disappointment,  was  heard  to  remark, 
"  Well,  well,  Kentucky  has  often  glutted  the  market 
with  hemp,  flour,  and  tobacco ;  and  now  she  has  done 
it  with  volunteers." 

On  the  1st  of  October  the  army  was  assembled  at 
Vincennes,  where  it  was  organized,  and  the  command 
assumed  by  General  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  the  Kentucky 
militia.  They  now  crossed  the  W abash,  and  proceeded 
in  the  direction  of  the  Kickapoo  villages,  on  the  Illinois 
river.  But  being  deceived  by  their  guides,  they  wan 
dered  about  for  several  days  without  advancing  far 
towards  the  point  of  destination.  The  want  of  pro 
visions  was  soon  felt,  and  both  horses  and  men  were 
sinking  with  fatigue.  Under  these  circumstances  it 
was  determined  to  return.  The  expedition  was  con 
sidered  to  have  failed  in  its  principal  object,  and  severe 
reflections  were  cast  upon  the  commander.  But  a  court 
of  inquiry  being  afterwards  held,  they  decided  that  his 
conduct  merited  applause,  rather  than  censure. 

After  dismissing  the  mounted  men,  General  Hopkins 
led  a  body  of  infantry  against  the  Indians  on  the  Wa- 
bash.  The  march  was  commenced  on  the  llth  of  No 
vember,  and  conducted  with  the  greatest  caution.  On 
the  19th  they  arrived  at  the  Prophet's  Town,  which  was 
destroyed,  as  were  a  Winnebago  village,  a  few  miles 
lower  down,  and  a  Kickapoo  village,  on  the  western 
side  of  the  river.  Operations  were  continued  until  the 
24th,  when  the  weather  becoming  extremely  cold,  and 
the  troops  being  destitute  of  the  necessary  clothing,  they 
returned  home. 

Meanwhile  a  successful  expedition  had  been  carried 
on  by  Governor  Edwards  and  Colonel  Russell  against 
'.he  Kickapoos.  Their  principal  village,  at  the  head  of 


BATTLE  OF  FRENCHTOWN.  269 

Peoria  Lake,  was  surprised,  a  large  number  of  warriors 
killed,  their  corn  destroyed,  and  about  eighty  horses 
captured. 

Information  having  been  received  that  Colonel  Elliot 
was  advancing  from  Maiden  towards  the  river  Raisin, 
with  a  body  of  English  and  Indians,  to  attack  the  camp 
at  the  Rapids,  Colonel  Lewis,  who  was  stationed  at 
Presque  Isle,  pushed  forward  for  Frenchtown,  a  village 
midway  between  Presque  Isle  and  Maiden,  and  distant 
from  each  eighteen  miles.  After  a  laborious  march 
they  arrived  at  this  place,  where  they  found  the  enemy 
ready  to  receive  them.  It  was,  however,  determined 
to  attack  them  ;  accordingly  an  assault  was  made,  and 
the  enemy  were  finally  forced  to  give  way.  The  Brit 
ish  were  commanded  by  Major  Reynolds,  and  they  lost 
about  a  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded. 

Lewis  determined  to  maintain  his  position  at  French- 
town,  and  General  Wincester,  on  receiving  intelligence 
of  the  victory,  approved  the  decision  of  Lewis,  hasten 
ed  to  support  him  with  all  his  troops,  and  on  the  21st 
of  January  established  his  head-quarters  at  Frenchtown, 
which  he  determined  to  fortify  the  next  day.  Colonel 
Wells  was  sent  to  the  Rapids,  where  he  met  General 
Harrison,  who  had  arrived  there  the  day  before,  and 
was  making  every  effort  to  hasten  forward  the  rein 
forcements. 

The  advices  sent  by  Winchester  to  Harrison  had  all 
been  delayed  by  accidents  incident  to  the  wilderness 
and  the  season ;  and  he  was  now  endeavouring  to  sup 
port  movements  which  he  could  not  have  foreseen,  and 
of  which  he  was  recently  and  unexpectedly  apprized. 
This,  with  his  feeble  and  scattered  means,  in  the  depth 
of  a  northern  winter,  and  in  the  impracticable  state  of 
that  wilderness  region,  was  a  hopeless  undertaking ;  but 
unpromising  as  it  was,  it  was  attempted  with  zeal  and 
earnestness;  and  on  the  20th  he  dispatched  Captain 
Hart  with  instructions  to  Winchester  to  maintain  the 
position  at  the  river  Raisin. 

As  soon  as  the  British  at  Maiden  heard  of  the  ad 
vance  of  the  Americans  on  Frenchtown,  they  deter- 


270  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

mined  to  attack  them.  Accordingly,  on  the  morning 
of  the  22d,  they  commenced  the  assault,  by  opening  a 
heavy  battery  at  the  distance  of  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  American  camp.  The  enemy  had  approached 
in  the  night  in  profound  silence.  The  Americans  were 
outnumbered,  and  only  a  part  of  them  were  protected 
by  temporary  breastworks.  The  assailants  rushed  for 
ward  to  the  charge,  with  the  bayonet  and  the  toma 
hawk,  amid  the  loud  yells  of  the  savage.  From  the 
camp  of  Lewis,  which  was  surrounded  with  pickets, 
they  were  repulsed ;  but  the  reinforcement  which  had 
arrived  under  Winchester,  and  was  unprotected  by  any 
work,  was  overpowered,  and  forced  to  give  way. 
General  Winchester  hastened  to  the  scene  of  action, 
and  endeavoured,  ineffectually,  to  rally  the  broken  lines. 
But  the  British  pressed  upon  the  disordered  troops ;  the 
Indians  gained  their  right  flank,  and  the  men  began  to 
retreat  in  confusion  across  the  river.  Lewis  and  Allen 
gallantly  endeavoured  to  regain  the  ground  that  had 
been  lost,  but  in  vain ;  the  Indians  had  now  gained  the 
other  flank,  and  were  in  possession  of  the  woods  in  the 
rear.  Confusion  increased ;  a  large  party  of  our  troops 
which  had  reached  the  woods  were  surrounded  and 
massacred  without  distinction  and  without  mercy.  Near 
ly  one  hundred  were  tomahawked  at  one  spot.  Every 
fugitive  was  slaughtered.  The  brave  Allen,  after  being 
badly  wounded,  and  retreating  two  miles,  surrendered 
to  an  Indian ;  another  savage  assailed  him,  and  Allen, 
with  a  blow  of  his  sword,  struck  the  assassin  dead,  and 
was  himself  shot  down  by  a  third  Indian. 

Lieutenant  Garrett  having  surrendered  himself,  with 
a  party  of  fifteen  or  twenty  men,  all  but  himself  were 
instantly  butchered.  Another  party  of  thirty  men  had 
retreated  three  miles,  when  they  were  surrounded,  and 
compelled  to  surrender;  half  of  them  were  murdered. 
Winchester  and  Lewis  were  captured,  and  their  coats 
stripped  off:  in  this  condition  they  were  taken  to  Colo 
nel  Proctor's  head-quarters. 

The  troops  within  the  picketing,  under  Graves  and 
Madison,  still  maintained  that  position  with  Spartan 


MASSACRE  AT  THE  RIVER  AAISIN.  27  I 

valour.  Major  Graves,  when  severely  wounded,  sat 
down,  exclaiming,  "  Never  mind  me — fight  on."  Proc 
tor,  at  length  wearied  with  the  ineffectual  sacrifice  of 
his  men,  withdrew  his  mercenary  troops  and  savage 
allies  from  the  vain  attempt  to  dislodge  this  little  band 
of  heroes. 

But  Proctor  at  length  procured  by  an  act  of  inde 
scribable  baseness,  what  he  could  not  effect  by  valour. 
He  told  General  Winchester  that  unless  the  remainder 
of  his  troops  should  surrender,  the  whole  of  the  prison 
ers  would  be  massacred.  Shocked  as  he  must  have 
been  at  such  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  war,  he  had 
seen  enough  to  know  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a 
monster,  who  only  wished  for  some  pretext  to  steep  his 
hands  still  more  deeply  in  blood.  A  flag  was  sent  by 
him,  therefore,  with  an  order  to  Major  Madison  to  sur 
render,  borne  by  Major  Overton,  the  aid  of  Winchester, 
and  accompanied  by  Proctor.  The  latter  insolently 
demanded  an  immediate  surrender ;  threatening,  in  case 
of  refusal,  to  deliver  over  the  whole  garrison  to  the 
vengeance  of  the  Indians.  Major  Madison  observed, 
"  That  it  had  been  customary  for  the  Indians  to  massa 
cre  the  wounded  and  prisoners,  and  that  he  would  not 
agree  to  any  capitulation  which  General  Winchester 
might  direct,  unless  the  safety  and  protection  of  his 
men  were  stipulated."  Colonel  Proctor  said,  "  Sir,  do 
you  mean  to  dictate  to  me  ?"  "  No,"  replied  the  gallant 
Madison,  "  I  intend  to  dictate  for  myself,  and  we  prefer 
selling  our  lives  as  dearly  as  possible,  rather  than  to  be 
massacred  in  cold  blood."  Proctor  then  received  the 
surrender,  on  the  conditions  that  private  property  should 
be  respected,  that  the  prisoners  should  be  protected  by 
a  guard,  the  sick  and  wounded  removed  on  sleds,  and 
the  officers  allowed  to  retain  their  side-arms. 

We  forbear  to  shock  our  readers  by  recounting  in 
detail  the  atrocities  that  ensued ; — atrocities  which  have 
covered  the  name  of  Proctor  with  eternal  infamy. 
The  prisoners  thus  taken  were  given  over  to  the  In 
dians  to  be  slain  in  cold  blood.  A  few  were  saved  by 
the  interposition  of  some  of  the  officers.  Graves,  Hart, 


272  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Hickman,  and  other  gallant  officers,  with  their  brave 
companions,  were  coldly  delivered  up,  by  British  of 
ficers,  to  the  infuriated  Indians,  and  butchered  in  their 
presence.  Some  of  their  bodies  were  thrown  into  the 
flames  of  the  burning  village,  and  others,  shockingly 
mangled,  left  exposed  in  the  streets.  Major  Woolfolk, 
the  secretary  of  Winchester,  was  shot  some  days  after 
his  capture,  and  Major  Graves  murdered  at  some  later 
period,  which  has  never  been  ascertained.  For  several 
days  this  horrid  tragedy  continued  to  be  acted;  and 
every  prisoner  who  became  exhausted  in  the  march 
towards  Maiden,  was  handed  over  to  the  savages.  (See 
Engraving  on  the  opposite  page.) 

For  the  massacre  at  the  river  Raisin,  for  which  any 
other  civilized  government  would  have  dismissed,  and 
perhaps  have  gibbeted,  the  commander,  Colonel  Proctor 
received  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  British  army ! 
So  far  from  disgracing  the  perpetrator  of  such  atro 
cities,  the  government  rewarded  him ;  and  the  com 
mander  of  the  forces  in  Upper  Canada,  in  a  general 
order  distinguished  for  its  falsehood  and  malignity, 
boasted  of  this  "  brilliant  action,"  and  of  the  "gallantry" 
of  Proctor,  which  he  declared  to  have  been  "  nobly  dis 
played  !" 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  the  British,  accompanied 
by  their  usual  allies,  the  Indians,  proceeded  against 
Fort  Meigs.  On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  May,  they 
had  completed  their  batteries,  and  had  every  thing  ready 
for  opening  their  fire  upon  the  Americans.  But  while 
the  British  had  been  employed  in  erecting  batteries,  the 
Americans  had  constructed  a  grand  traverse,  running 
entirely  across  the  camp.  When  the  British  were  about 
to  fire,  orders  were  given  for  the  tents  in  front  of  this 
work  to  be  struck;  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  all  dis 
appeared,  and  not  a  person  was  visible  from  the  British 
lines.  They,  however,  opened  their  batteries,  but  with 
out  doing  much  harm. 

General  Clay  was  still  on  his  way  to  join  Harrison. 
He  being  informed  that  Clay  would  reach  the  camp  at 
dawn  on  the  ensuing  morning,  determined  to  make  a 


(S73) 


s 


SORTIE  FROM  FORT  MEIGS.  275 

sortie  upon  the  enemy;  he,  therefore,  sent  orders  for 
Clay  to  land  with  eight  hundred  men  at  a  point  to  be 
shown  by  Captain  Hamilton,  a  mile  and  a  half  above 
Camp  Meigs.  Hamilton  was  to  conduct  the  detach 
ment  to  the  British  batteries,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river.  These  were  to  be  taken,  the  cannon  spiked,  and 
the  carriages  cut  down ;  the  troops  were  then  to  em 
bark  in  the  boats,  and  cross  to  the  fort.  The  remainder 
were  to  land  on  the  other  bank,  and  cut  their  way 
through  the  Indians  into  the  fort. 

Colonel  Dudley  proceeded  to  lead  the  detachment 
against  the  enemy's  batteries ;  while  General  Clay  fol 
lowed  with  the  remainder  of  his  men.  In  attempting 
to  land,  the  boats  of  Clay  became  separated  by  the 
violence  of  the  current,  and  were  landed  at  different 
points.  Captain  Peter  Dudley  marched  into  the  camp 
without  loss,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  the  enemy.  Colonel 
Boswell,  with  the  rear  boats,  deceived  by  a  movement 
of  those  in  advance,  was  about  to  land  on  the  wrong 
side,  when  he  was  instructed  to  cross  over,  and  fight 
his  way  into  the  camp.  When  he  had  landed,  the  party 
was  put  in  great  danger  by  the  Indians ;  but  they  fought 
their  way  through  them,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  fort. 

General  Harrison  now  ordered  a  sortie  from  the  fort, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  John  Miller.  He,  ac 
companied  by  Major  Todd,  charged  the  British,  and 
drove  them  from  their  batteries — spiked  their  cannon, 
and  took  forty-one  prisoners,  including  an  officer,  hav 
ing  completely  beaten  and  driven  back  the  enemy.  The 
British  force  consisted  of  two  hundred  regulars,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Canadians,  and  five  hundred  Indians, 
being  more  than  double  the  number  of  the  brave  de 
tachment  that  had  attacked  them. 

Meanwhile  Colonel  Dudley  had  effected  a  landing  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  marched  rapidly 
towards  the  enemy's  batteries.  He  succeeded  com 
pletely  in  the  objects  of  the  expedition ;  the  batteries 
were  carried  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.  But 
instead  of  returning  immediately  to  the  fort,  they  loiter 
ed  about  the  batteries  with  the  most  perfect  indifference 


276  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

to  any  approaching  danger.  They  were  now  attacked 
by  a  party  of  Indians ;  these  they  defeated  and  pur 
sued  for  two  miles.  The  left  column,  under  Major 
Shelby,  which  remained  in  possession  of  the  batteries, 
was  now  charged  by  the  enemy,  who  had  rallied  -. 
some  were  made  prisoners,  and  others  driven  to  the 
boats.  Shelby  rallied  the  remainder  and  hastened  to 
the  assistance  of  Dudley.  A  retreat  was  now  at 
tempted,  but  in  the  utmost  disorder.  A  greater  part  of 
the  men  were  captured  by  the  Indians,  or  surrendered 
to  the  English. 

The  British  and  Indians  now  perpetrated  their  usual 
atrocities.  The  gallant  Dudley,  with  several  of  his 
companions,  were  tomahawked.  The  prisoners  were 
taken  to  Fort  Miami,  and  the  Indians  there  stationed 
themselves  on  the  ramparts,  and  fired  upon  them. 
Others,  still  more  cruel,  selected  a  victim,  led  him  out, 
and  in  the  very  presence  of  Proctor  and  his  officers, 
tomahawked  him.  This  horrid  work  continued  till  the 
arrival  of  Tecumseh,  who  put  a  stop  to  the  carnage. 

Soon  after,  Proctor  sent  a  formal  summons  to  Har 
rison  to  surrender;  but  he  replied  that  he  considered 
such  a  message  as  an  insult.  Proctor,  finding  that  he 
could  not  take  the  fort,  raised  the  siege  and  decamped. 

On  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  July,  a  body  of 
English  and  Indians  arrived  before  Fort  Stephenson, 
which  was  commanded  by  Major  Croghan.  The  gar 
rison  were  then  summoned  to  surrender,  and  in  case  of 
refusal,  were  threatened  with  instant  death  at  the  hands 
of  the  Indians.  ,Major  Croghan  answered,  "  that  when 
the  fort  should  be  taken,  there  would  be  none  left  to 
massacre;  as  it  would  not  be  given  up  while  a  man 
was  able  to  fight." 

The  British  began  their  firing  early  in  the  morning, 
and  continued  it  throughout  the  day.  In  the  evening, 
an  assault  was  made  by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy, 
in  two  columns,  one  led  by  Colonel  Short,  the  other  by 
Colonel  Warburton  and  Major  Chambers.  They  rushed 
forward  with  great  bravery;  but  they  were  thrown 
into  confusion  by  a  destructive  fire  of  musketry,  kept 


SIEGE  OF  FORT  ME1GS.  277 

up  by  Captain  Hunter.  The  loss  of  the  Americans 
was  one  killed  and  seven  wounded ;  whilst  that  of  the 
British  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

When  the  fighting  had  ceased,  Major  Croghan  sent 
out  provisions  and  water  to  the  wounded  of  the  British, 
who  were  lying  in  a  deplorable  condition,  in  the  ditch 
around  the  fort ;  and  those  who  were  able  to  creep  to 
the  fort  were  kindly  received. 

The  next  morning,  at  three  o'clock,  the  whole  British 
and  Indian  force  commenced  a  disorderly  retreat. 

A  few  days  before  this  event,  Fort  Meigs  was  in 
vested  by  fifteen  hundred  British  regulars  and  Cana 
dians,  and  by  five  thousand  Indian  warriors  led  on  by 
Tecumseh  and  Dickson.  A  large  portion  of  the  latter 
were  Winnebagoes,  and  others  of  the  fiercest  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  from  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes ;  who 
were  brought  for  the  first  time  against  the  army  of 
Harrison,  by  a  promise  that  the  fort  should  be  stormed, 
and  the  prisoners  and  booty  delivered  over  to  them,  to 
be  dealt  with  according  to  their  pleasure. 

Harrison  received  information  of  these  facts  by  Cap 
tain  M'Cune;  he  having  received  his  advices,  had  just 
returned  to  the  fort,  when  a  subtle  stratagem  was  made 
use  of  to  draw  the  Americans  from  the  fort.  A  sham 
fight  was  acted  in  sight  of  the  garrison ;  the  Indians 
attacked  a  body  of  Canadians,  who  at  first  broke,  but 
afterwards  rallied  again,  when  the  Indians  gave  back. 
It  was  expected  that  the  garrison  would  mistake  the 
Canadians  for  the  army  of  Harrison,  and  rush  out  to 
their  relief.  But  the  advices  brought  by  Captain  M'Cune 
prevented  this  mistake.  Had  the  troops  rushed  out  as 
had  been  anticipated,  they  would  all,  without  doubt, 
have  been  instantly  massacred,  and  the  fort  taken  pos 
session  of  by  the  Indians  and  British  troops.  A  short 
time  after,  dissensions  broke  out  among  the  English  and 
their  allies,  and  the  siege  was  raised. 

The  victory  of  Commodore  Perry  having  opened  to 
the  Americans  the  navigation  of  Lake  Erie,  General 
Harrison  now  determined  to  cross  over  into  Canada 
26 


278  INDIAN  WARS  IN  TFIK  UNITED  STATES. 

and  bring  Proctor  to  an  engagement.  This  latter  gene 
ral  retreated  before  him,  but,  after  a  severe  pursuit, 
was  overtaken  on  the  5th  of  October.  Proctor's  army 
was  posted  on  the  river  Thames ;  his  left  was  flanked 
by  that  river,  and  his  right  by  a  swamp.  Beyond  the 
latter,  and  between  it  and  another  swamp  still  further 
on  the  right,  were  the  Indians  under  Tecumseh.  Proc 
tor  had  formed  his  men  in  open  order,  that  is,  with  in 
tervals  of  three  or  four  feet  between  the  files.  Har 
rison,  on  perceiving  this,  ordered  Colonel  Johnson,  with 
the  mounted  men,  to  dash  through  the  enemy's  line  in  a 
column.  This  was  easily  done ;  and  forming  in  their 
rear,  the  Americans  assailed  their  broken  line.  The 
battle  was  gained.  No  sooner  was  their  line  broken, 
than  the  British  began  to  throw  down  their  arms  and 
beg  for  quarter. 

On  the  American  left,  some  fighting  took  place  with 
the  Indians.  A  lively  fire  was  kept  up  for  some  time. 
Tecumseh  rushed  on  Colonel  Johnson,  with  his  toma 
hawk  raised,  and  was  on  the  point  of  striking  him, 
when  Johnson  drew  a  pistol  from  his  belt  and  shot  him 
dead.*  The  Indians,  on  the  death  of  their  chief,  gave 
way  and  retired  in  confusion.  (See  Engraving  on  the 
opposite  page.) 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  who  had  galloped  off 
with  General  Proctor,  the  whole  British  army  was 
taken.  Their  loss  in  this  engagement  was  eighteen 
killed  and  twenty-six  wounded ;  while  the  prisoners 
amounted  to  six  hundred.  The  number  of  troops  en 
gaged  on  our  side  was  less  than  twenty-five  hundred, 
of  whom  nearly  all  were  militia.  The  enemy  brought 
into  the  field  eight  hundred  and  forty-five  regular  sol 
diers  and  two  thousand  Indians ;  so  that  if  there  was 
any  difference  in  point  of  numbers,  it  was  in  their 
favour. 

*  It  is  but  fair  to  state  that  this  account  of  the  death  of  Tecum 
seh  is  disputed ;  and  this  with  so  much  circumstantial  evidence 
against  the  version  of  the  affair  in  the  text,  that  it  still  remains  a 
question  in  the  history  of  Indian  warfare, — "  Who  killed  Tecum- 
•eh?" 


(279) 


TESTIMONY  TO  HARRISON'S  MERIT.  281 

We  close  our  account  of  this  war,  which  thus  fur 
may  be  characterized  as  an  Indian  war,  with  the  fol 
lowing  remarks  of  Judge  Hall.* 

"  The  defeat  of  the  enemy  was  the  consequence  of  a 
novel  and  most  able  disposition  of  our  army  by  its 
commander,  and  the  quickness  with  which  he  took 
advantage  of  the  enemy's  errors  on  the  field  of  battle, 
at  the  moment  of  engaging,  and  of  the  gallantry  of 
our  brave  troops.  It  closed  the  war  in  that  quarter ; 
and,  together  with  the  brilliant  victory  of  Perry  on  the 
adjacent  lake,  rescued  the  whole  north-western  frontier 
from  the  depredations  of  the  savage,  and  from  all  the 
accumulated  horrors  of  war.  In  the  language  of  the 
Hon.  Langdon  Cheves  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  *  The 
victory  of  Harrison  was  such  as  would  have  secured 
to  a  Roman  general,  in  the  best  days  of  the  republic, 
the  honours  of  a  triumph.  He  put  an  end  to  the  war 
in  the  uppermost  Canada.'  He  received  his  reward. 
He  was  complimented  by  Congress,  and  by  various 
public  bodies.  There  was  but  one  voice  —  it  was  that 
of  national  gratitude,  bursting  out  in  loud  acclamation, 
in  applause  of  the  public  services  of  a  great  national 
benefactor." 


*  "  Memoir  of  the  Public  Services  of  William  Henry  Harrisoa 
of  Ohio." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE    CREEK  WAR. 

(1813  and  1814.) 

the  spring  of  1812,  the 
southern  Indians  were 
visited  by  the  celebrated 
Tecumseh,  who,  with  an 
ardent  but  savage  elo 
quence,  urged  them  to 
take  up  arms  against  the 
whites.  He  reminded 
his  countrymen  of  the 
usurpation  of  their  lands 
by  the  European  race; 
and  painted  in  glowing  terms  their  spirit  of  encroach 
ment,  and  the  consequent  diminution  of  the  Indians.  He 
also  brought  to  his  aid  the  influence  of  religion,  and  de 
nounced  the  vengeance  of  the  Great  Spirit  against  those 
who  should  imitate  the  manners  of  the  whites.  In  short, 
his  arguments  had  such  an  effect  that  the  Creeks  took 
up  arms,  and  began  to  commit  depredations  upon  the 
settlements  of  the  Americans. 

The  first  regular  appearance  of  hostility  was,  how 
ever,  made  by  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles,  who  resided 
within  the  limits  of  Florida.  A  number  of  fugitive 
negroes  having  joined  them,  they  began  a  cruel  and 
harassing  warfare  against  the  whites.  In  September, 
1812,  a  party  of  Georgia  volunteers,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Newman,  was  attacked  near  the 
Lackway  towns,  by  a  very  superior  force  of  Indians. 
Thev,  however,  bravely  defended  themselves,  and  the 

(282) 


'284) 


CREEK  INDIANS  DEFEATED.  285 

Indians  were  obliged  to  retreat.  But  in  the  evening 
they  again  returned,  and  obliged  the  Georgians  to  re 
treat  to  the  place  from  which  they  had  set  out. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1813,  Fort  Mimrns,  which 
contained  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Major  Beasely,  besides  a  number  of  women 
and  children,  was  surprised  by  a  party  of  Indians.  The 
houses  were  set  on  fire,  and  those  who  escaped  the 
flames  fell  victims  to  the  tomahawk.  Neither  age  nor 
sex  was  spared;  and  the  most  horrible  cruelties,  of 
which  the  imagination  can  conceive,  were  perpetrated. 
Out  of  the  three  hundred  persons  which  the  fort  con 
tained,  only  seventeen  escaped  to  carry  the  dreadful 
intelligence  to  the  neighbouring  stations. 

This  sanguinary  and  unprovoked  massacre  excited 
universal  horror,  and  the  desire  of  revenge.  The  state 
of  Tennessee  immediately  took  active  measures  for 
punishing  the  aggressors.  General  Jackson  was  order 
ed  to  draft  two  thousand  of  the  militia  and  volunteers 
of  his  division;  and  General  Coffee  was  directed  to  pro 
ceed  with  five  hundred  mounted  men  to  the  frontier  of 
the  state.  The  former  having  collected  a  part  of  his 
force,  joined  Colonel  Coffee  on  the  12th  of  October,  at 
Ditto's  landing,  on  the  Tennessee.  They  then  marched 
10  the  Ten  Islands,  on  the  same  river.  A  few  days 
afterwards,  General  Coffee  was  detached  with  nine 
hundred  men  to  attack  a  body  of  the  enemy,  posted  at 
Tallushatchee.  He  arrived  early  in  the  morning  within 
a  short  distance  of  it,  and  dividing  his  force  into  two 
columns,  completely  surrounded  it.  The  Indians,  for  a 
long  time,  made  a  desperate  resistance,  and  did  all  that 
it  was  possible  for  men  to  do  who  were  in  their  situa 
tion.  But  they  were  finally  overpowered,  with  the  loss 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  men.  (See  Engraving 
on  the  opposite  page.)  A  number  of  women  and  children 
were  also  taken  prisoners.  Of  General  Coffee's  force, 
five  were  killed,  and  forty  wounded. 

General  Jackson  now  determined  to  proceed  with  his 
whole  force  to  the  relief  of  a  post  garrisoned  by  the  friend- 
•y  Indians,  at  Talladega,  about  thirty  miles  distant,  which 


286  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

was  besieged  by  the  enemy.  Accordingly,  on  the 
evening  of  the  7lh  of  December,  he  arrived  within  six 
miles  of  the  enemy.  On  the  next  morning,  his  march 
was  resumed,  and  having  arrived  at  a  mile  from  the 
Indians,  he  made  his  dispositions  for  the  attack.  The 
advance,  under  General  Carroll,  was  directed  to  com 
mence  the  action,  and  the  mounted  men  were  posted  on 
the  right  and  left  so  as  to  be  able  to  surround  the  enemy. 
This  plan  would  have  fully  succeeded,  had  not  a  part 
of  the  infantry  fled  on  the  first  approach  of  the  enemy. 
The  Indians  were,  however,  defeated,  but  a  great  por 
tion  of  them  escaped,  in  consequence  of  the  investment 
not  being  complete.  Three  hundred  warriors  were  left 
dead  on  the  field,  and  a  great  number  were  killed  in  the 
pursuit.  Of  the  Americans,  fifteen  were  killed,  and 
eighty  wounded. 

An  opportunity  might  now  have  offered  to  follow  up 
the  blow,  but  this  was  prevented  by  the  want  of  pro 
visions.  General  Jackson,  therefore,  marched  back  his 
army  to  Fort  Strother,  at  the  Ten  Islands ;  but  on  his 
arrival  there,  he  learnt,  to  his  great  mortification,  that 
no  supplies  had  arrived.  In  this  situation  the  army  was 
reduced  to  great  inconveniences,  and  discontent  soon 
broke  out  among  the  volunteers.  Having  in  vain  en 
deavoured  to  quell  it,  he  ordered  them  to  be  marched 
back  to  Nashville,  to  await  the  orders  of  the  president. 

Whilst  General  Jackson  was  thus  contending  with 
his  men,  General  Cocke,  who  commanded  the  militia 
of  East  Tennessee,  detached  General  White  with  a 
part  of  his  force  against  the  towns  of  the  Hillabee 
tribe.  White  proceeded  to  fulfil  his  instructions ;  and 
having  destroyed  their  town  and  killed  sixty  warriors, 
he  returned  with  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners. 
About  the  same  time,  the  Georgia  militia  under  General 
Floyd,  obtained  a  signal  victory  over  a  body  of  the 
enemy  at  the  Autossee  towns,  on  the  Tallapoosa  river. 

General  Jackson  being  now  reinforced  by  a  body  of 
about  one  thousand  mounted  volunteers,  determined  to 
attack  the  Indians,  who  were  posted  at  the  bend  of  the 
Tallapoosa.  On  the  21st  of  January,  1814,  he  arrived 


Page  286. 


OPERATIONS  AGAINST  THE  CREEKS.  287 

in  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  and  encamped  in  a  hollow 
square.  On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  the  Indians  com 
menced  a  furious  attack  upon  his  left  flank,  but  after  a 
warm  action  were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss. 
Jackson  now  determined  on  a  general  attack.  The 
Indians  resisted  for  a  long  time,  but  were  finally  over 
powered.  They  fled,  leaving  a  great  number  of  their 
companions  lying  dead  on  the  field  of  battle. 

This  battle  was  not  gained  without  considerable  loss 
to  the  victors.  The  wounded  required  care  and  atten 
tion,  which  they  could  not  receive  in  that  quarter,  and 
it  was  therefore  determined  to  proceed  to  the  Ten 
Islands.  Accordingly,  on  the  next  morning,  the  army 
began  its  march,  and  proceeded  without  interruption 
till  it  arrived  at  the  Enotichopco  creek.  While  crossing 
this,  Jackson  was  attacked  by  a  numerous  body  of 
Indians.  On  the  first  fire,  the  vanguard  retreated  into 
the  creek,  thus  leaving  only  about  twenty  to  oppose  the 
enemy.  But  the  Indians,  perceiving  that  they  were 
now  about  to  be  attacked  by  the  main  body,  retired  in 
confusion,  and  were  pursued  a  considerable  distance. 
Their  loss  during  the  pursuit  was  very  great,  while  that 
of  the  Americans  was  but  trifling.  The  repulse  received 
by  the  enemy,  prevented  any  further  molestation  of  the 
army,  which  reached  Fort  Strother  on  the  27th  of 
January. 

A  short  time  after  Jackson's  return  to  Fort  Strother, 
the  term  of  service  of  the  volunteers  expired,  and  they 
were  discharged  with  honourable  testimonies,  by  their 
commander.  To  supply  their  places,  a  draft  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  militia  was  now  made,  for  a  tour  of  three 
months ;  and  on  the  6th  of  February,  a  regiment  of 
regular  infantry,  six  hundred  strong,  arrived  at  Fort 
Strother.  Discontent  again  broke  out  among  his  army, 
occasioned  by  the  want  of  provisions ;  but,  by  the  firm 
ness  of  General  Jackson,  order  was  again  restored.  He 
finally  succeeded  in  gaining  the  supplies  of  which  he 
was  in  so  much  need,  and  on  the  14th  of  March,  com 
menced  another  expedition  against  the  Creeks,  which 
ended  in  the  entire  overthrow  of  this  unfortunate  nation. 


288  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  encampment  which  General  Jackson  determined 
to  attack,  was  situated  on  the  Tallapoosa,  near  Toucka. 
This  place  had  been  fortified  by  the  Indians,  with  a  de 
gree  of  skill  uncommon  among  an  uncivilized  people. 
The  force  which  Jackson  brought  with  him  consisted 
of  about  three  thousand  men ;  and  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  27th  of  March,  he  arrived  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  encampment,  and  made  his  pre 
parations  for  the  attack.  These  were  soon  completed, 
and  the  army  marched  forward  to  the  contest.  The 
Indians  resisted  for  a  long  time  with  the  greatest  obsti 
nacy;  but  the  ramparts  were  finally  scaled  and  the 
enemy  driven  into  the  brush.  But  they  were  soon  com 
pelled  to  retire  from  this,  and  surrounded  on  every  side. 
General  Jackson  now  sent  a  flag,  with  an  interpreter, 
to  summon  them  to  surrender.  But  the  party  was  fired 
on  and  a  person  wounded.  The  destruction  which  they 
appeared  to  seek,  was  now  accorded  them.  The  trees 
and  brush  in  which  they  had  concealed  themselves, 
were  set  on  fire,  and  they  were  thus  exposed  to  the 
view  of  their  assailants,  by  whom  their  numbers  were 
soon  materially  thinned.  This  work  of  slaughter  and 
misery  continued  until  night,  when  the  few  wretched 
survivors,  aided  by  the  darkness,  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape.  This  victory  gave  a  death-blow  to  the 
power  and  hopes  of  the  Creeks.  Five  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  of  their  warriors  were  found  dead  on  the 
ground;  and  three  hundred  women  and  children  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  victors.  The  American  loss  was 
fifty-five  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-six  wounded. 

After  this  engagement,  General  Jackson  returned 
with  his  victorious  army  to  Fort  Williams ;  but,  deter 
mined  to  give  his  enemy  no  opportunity  of  retrieving 
the  misfortune  that  had  befallen  him,  he  recommenced 
operations  immediately  afterwards.  On  the  7th  of  April, 
he  again  set  out  for  Tallapoosa,  with  the  view  of  form 
ing  a  junction  with  the  Georgia  troops  under  Colonel 
Milton,  and  completing  the  subjugation  of  the  country. 
On  the  14th  of  that  month,  the  union  of  the  two  armies 
was  effected,  and  both  bodies  moved  to  a  place  called 


(290) 


SUBMISSION  OF  THE  CREEKS.  291 

the  Hickory  Ground,  where,  it  was  expected,  the  lasf 
final  stand  would  be  made  by  the  Indians,  or  terms  of 
submission  would  be  agreed*  on.     The  principal  chiefs 
of  the  different  tribes  had  assembled  here,  and,  on  the 
approach  of  the  army,  sent  a  deputation  to  treat  for 
peace.      Among   them   was   Weatherford,   celebrated 
equally  for  his  talents  and  cruelty,  who  had  directed 
the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms.   It  had  been  the  intention 
of  General  Jackson,  to  inflict  a  signal  punishment  upon 
him,  if  ever  in  his  power.     Struck,  however,  with  the 
bold   and   nervous   eloquence  of  this  fearless  savage, 
and  persuaded  of  the  sincerity  of  his  wishes  for  peace, 
he  dismissed  him  without  injury.   Some  of  the  speeches 
of  this  warrior  have  been  preserved,  and  exhibit  a  beau 
tiful  specimen  of  the  melancholy  but  manly  tone  of  a 
savage   hero,   lamenting   the   misfortunes  of  his  race. 
The  following  passages  are  all  we  have  room  to  insert. 
(See  Engraving,  on  the  opposite  page.)  Addressing  Gene 
ral  Jackson,  he  said,  "  I  am  in  your  power — do  with 
me  as  you  please.     I  am  a  soldier.     I  have  done  the 
white  people  all  the,  harm  I  could  ;  I  have  fought  them, 
and°  fought  them  bravely."     "  There  was  a  time  when 
I  had  a  choice,  and  could  have  answered  you :  I  have 
none  now, — even  hop'e  is  ended.   Once  I  could  animate 
my  warriors ;  but  I  cannot  animate  the  dead.   My  war 
riors  can  no  longer  hear  my  voice  :  their  bones  are  at 
Talladega,  Tallushatchee,  Emuckfaw,  and  Tohopeka, 
Whilst  there  was  a  chance  of  success,  I  never  left  my 
post,  nor  supplicated  peace.    But  my  people  are  gone ; 
and  I  now  ask  it  for  my  nation  and  myself."     He 
shortly  afterwards  became  the  instrument  of  restoring 
peace,  which  was  concluded  by  the  total  submission  of 
the  Indians.     They  agreed  to  retire  in  the  rear  of  the 
army,  and  occupy  the  country  to  the  east  of  the  Coosa ; 
while  a  line  of  American  posts  was  established  from 
Tennessee  and  Georgia,  to  the  Alabama,  and  the  power 
and  resources  of  these  tribes  were  thus  effectually  de- 
stroved. 


CHAPTER   XX. 
SEMINOLE    WAR. 

(1817.) 


UST  after  the  close  of  the 
last  war  with  Great  Bri 
tain,  when  the  British 
withdrew  their  military 
force  from  the  Floridas, 
Edward  Nicholls,  former 
ly  a  colonel,  and  James 
Woodbine,  a  captain  in 
the  British  service,  who 
had  both  been  instru 
mental  in  exciting  the 
Indians  and  negroes  of  the  south  to  hostilities,  remained 
in  the  territory  for  the  purposes  of  forming  combina 
tions  against  the  south-western  frontier  of  the  United 
States.  To  the  Creeks,  who  had  ceded  their  lands  to 
our  government  by  General  Jackson's  treaty  of  August, 
1814,  Nicholls  represented  that  they  had  been  defrauded; 
that  the  treaty  of  Ghent  had  provided  for  the  restoration 
of  tl^eir  lands,  and  that  the  British  government  was 
ready  to  enforce  their  claims.  He  even  went  so  far 
as  to  assume  the  character  of  a  British  agent,  with 
powers,  from  the  commencement,  for  supporting  their 
pretensions. 

To  effect  their  purposes,  Nicholls  and  Woodbine 
established  a  fort  on  the  Appalachicola  river,  between 
East  and  West  Florida,  as  a  rendezvous  for  runaway 
negroes  and  hostile  Indians.  In  July,  1816,  about  four 

(21)2) 


FORT  BLOWN  UP.  293 

hundred  negroes  and  Indians   were   collected  at  this 
place,  which  was  strong  by  its  position,  fortified  with 
twelve  pieces  of  artillery,  and  well  provided  with  am 
munition  and  provisions. 

To  dislodge  this  horde  of  outlaws,  Colonel  Clinchv 
with  a  detachment  of  United  States  troops,  and  five 
hundred  friendly  Indians,  under  the  command  of  M'ln- 
tosh,  proceeded  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Appalachi- 
cola,  and  laid  siege  to  the  fort  on  the  land  side.  Nicholls 
and  Woodbine  first  exacted  an  oath  from  their  follow 
ers  not  to  suffer  an  American  to  approach  the  fort 
alive,  and  then  giving  it  up  to  them  went  oiF. 

To  supply  Colonel  Clinch's  forces  with  munitions  and 
provisions  for  the  siege,  two  schooners,  from  New  Or 
leans,  by  permission  of  the  Spanish  authorities  at  Pen- 
sacola,  proceeded  up  the  Appalachicola,  under  convoy 
of  two  gun-boats,  on  the  10th  of  July.  When  near 
the  fort,  a  watering  party  of  seven  men,  from  the 
schooners,  was  surprised  by  an  ambuscade  of  negroes: 
five  were  killed,  one  escaped,  and  one  was  captured, 
tortured,  and  put  to  death.  The  gun-boats,  having  but 
a  twelve  pounder  and  twenty-five  men  each,  were 
deemed  insufficient  by  Colonel  Clinch  to  attack  the 
fort,  and  their  commander  was  cautioned  against  at 
tempting  any  offensive  operations.  Not  deterred  by 
this,  he  warped  up  sufficiently  near  to  reach  it,  and  on 
commencing  the  firing  of  hot  shot,  one  of  them  enter 
ed  the  principal  magazine,  and  blew  up  the  fort. 

The  destruction  was  complete:  two  hundred  and 
seventy  of  the  enemy  were  killed ;  most  of  the  remain 
der  were  badly  wounded,  and  only  three  of  the  whole 
number  escaped  unhurt.  An  immense  quantity  of  arms 
and  munitions  of  war,  designed  for  supplying  the  In 
dians  and  negroes  with  the  means  of  annoying  the 
frontier  settlers,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors ; 
and  two  chiefs,  who  had  directed  the  torture  of  Amer 
ican  prisoners,  were  given  over  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  M'Intosh's  Indians.  The  savage  horde  of  West 
Florida  was  thus  broken  up. 

In  East  Florida,  an  enemy  of  the  same  description 


294  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

was  engaged  in  a  similar  system  of  operations.  This 
province  of  Spain  had  become  the  receptacle  of  a  popu 
lation  of  the  vilest  character.  The  Spanish  authorities 
had  no  control  over  them  beyond  the  limits  of  their 
fortified  posts.  The  most  numerous  occupants  of  the 
interior  were  the  Seminole  Indians,  outcast  runaways, 
as  their  name  indicates  from  the  Creeks.  Their  allies 
were  the  Red  Sticks,  and  other  fugitives  from  the  north 
ern  tribes.  The  Red-Sticks  were  Creeks  who  had  been 
expelled  from  their  lands  in  1813.  They  had  erected  a 
high  pole  at  their  principal  village  of  Mickasuky,  and 
painted  it  red,  to  denote  their  thirst  for  the  blood  of 
the  whites.  Their  flag  was  composed  of  scalps  of 
Americans  whom  they  had  murdered.  Hence  their 
name  Red-Sticks.  To  this  Indian  population  were 
added  some  hundreds  of  runaway  negroes  from  Georgia. 
The  frontier  inhabitants  had  much  to  dread  from  such 
a  population.  Their  warriors  amounted  to  some  fifteen 
hundred  or  more.  Francis  Hillishago,  a  Creek  chief, 
had  been  on  an  unsuccessful  visit  to  England  for  the 
purpose  of  recovering  his  lands  by  the  aid  of  the  go 
vernment.  The  Spanish  authorities  of  Florida,  and 
numerous  adventurers  from  New  Providence,  gave 
them  encouragement,  and  supplied  them  with  arms ; 
and  represented  the  Americans  as  enemies  bent  upon 
the  extermination  of  the  Indian  race.  Thus  supported, 
these  outcasts  carried  on  a  system  of  murder  and  plun 
der  on  the  frontiers  of  Georgia  and  Alabama,  taking 
refuge  in  the  Mickasuky  and  Sawaney  villages,  situated 
on  the  borders  of  Georgia. 

The  region  which  had  thus  become  the  seat  of  a 
sanguinary  border  warfare,  was  situated  in  the  military 
department  of  General  Jackson,  and  was  under  the  im 
mediate  command  of  General  Gaines.  The  latter,  in 
pursuance  of  his  orders  to  protect  the  frontier,  concen 
trated  his  forces  in  that  quarter,  and  built  Fort  Scott, 
on  the  Flint  river,  near  its  junction  with  the  Catahoo- 
chee ;  Fort  Gaines,  on  the  latter  river,  on  the  line  be 
tween  Georgia  and  Mississippi ;  and  Fort  Crawford,  in 
Mississippi,  on  the  Canacho  branch  of  the  Escambia. 


INSTRUCTIONS  TO  GENERAL  GAINES.  295 

General  Games'  instructions  on  the  subject  of  the 
Seminole  war,  were  contained  in  four  orders  from  the 
war  department.  The  first,  of  the  30th  of  October, 
1816,  after  directing  a  detachment  of  Georgia  militia 
to  be  called  into  service,  states,  "  that  the  assurance  of 
an  additional  force,  the  president  flatters  himself,  will  at 
least  have  the  effect  of  restraining  the  Seminoles  from 
committing  further  depredations,  and  perhaps  of  in 
ducing  them  to  make  reparation  for  the  murders  which 
they  have  committed  :  should  they,  however,  persevere 
in  their  refusal  to  make  such  reparation,  it  is  the  wish 
of  the  president  that  you  should  not,  on  that  account, 
pass  the  line,  and  make  an  attack  upon  them  within  the 
limits  of  Florida,  until  you  should  have  received  further 
instructions  from  this  department.  You  are  authorized 
to  remove  the  Indians  still  remaining  on  the  lands  ceded 
by  the  treaty  made  by  General  Jackson  with  the  Creeks." 

The  second,  bearing  date  the  2d  of  December,  re 
marks,  "  the  state  of  our  negotiations  with  Spain,  and 
the  temper  manifested  by  the  principal  European  pow 
ers,  make  it  impolitic,  in  the  opinion  of  the  president, 
to  move  a  force,  at  this  time,  into  the  Spanish  posses 
sions,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  chastising  the  Seminoles 
for  depredations  which  have  heretofore  been  committed 
by  them."  By  the  third,  dated  the  9th  of  December, 
General  Gaines  was  instructed,  that  should  the  Indians 
appear  in  force  on  the  Spanish  side  of  the  line,  and  per 
severe  in  committing  hostilities  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  to  exercise  a  sound  discretion  as  to  the 
propriety  of  crossing  the  line,  for  the  purpose  of  at 
tacking  them  and  breaking  up  their  towns.  The  fourth, 
bearing  date  the  16th  of  December,  further  instructed 
him,  that  should  the  Seminole  Indians  still  refuse  to 
make  reparation  for  their  outrages  and  depredations  on 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  to  consider  himself  at 
liberty  to  march  across  the  Florida  line  and  attack 
them  within  its  limits,  unless  they  should  shelter  them 
selves  under  a  Spanish  fort,  and  in  that  event,  imme 
diately  notify  the  war  department. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  1816,  General  Gaines  being 


296  (NDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

at  Fort  Scott,  and  having  been  instructed  to  remove  the 
remaining  Creeks  from  the  territory  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  by  Jackson's  treaty,  sent  an  officer  to  Fowl- 
town,  one  of  their  settlements  near  him,  to  require  the 
removal  of  certain  Indians  still  remaining.  The  chief 
returned  a  haughty  refusal.  Major  Twigs  being  dis 
patched  on  the  next  day,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  to  bring  the  chiefs  and  warriors  to  Fort  Scott,  was 
attacked  by  the  Indians,  but  he  repulsed  and  put  them 
to  flight,  after  killing  and  wounding  a  small  number. 
Four  days  after,  he  marched  to  the  town,  which  he 
found  deserted.  Three  vessels,  under  the  direction  of 
Major  Muhlenburg,  with  military  stores  for  the  supply 
of  Fort  Scott,  were  ascending  the  Appalachicola,  on 
the  30th  of  November,  when  a  party  of  forty  men,  un 
der  Lieutenant  Scott,  was  sent  down  the  river  to  their 
assistance,  by  General  Gaines.  Muhlenburg  took  out 
twenty  of  the  men,  and  supplying  their  places  with  his 
sick,  invalids,  and  seven  women,  sent  the  boat  back 
towards  the  fort.  At  the  mouth  of  Flint  river,  the  boat 
was  attacked  by  an  ambuscade  of  Indians,  and  all 
were  killed  except  six  soldiers,  who  escaped  to  the  op 
posite  shore  by  swimming,  and  one  woman,  who  was 
captured.  The  scalps  of  the  killed  were  taken  to  the 
Mickasuky  village  and  added  to  the  trophies  on  the  red 
pole  of  the  Indians.  The  vessels,  retarded  by  the  cur 
rent,  and  constantly  assailed  by  the  savage  enemies  who 
lined  the  banks  of  the  river,  received  the  aid  of  another 
detachment  from  the  fort,  which  a  favourable  wind  at 
last  enabled  them  to  reach. 

The  news  of  these  disasters  induced  the  government 
to  take  more  decisive  measures,  and  on  the  26th  of  De 
cember,  General  Jackson  was  ordered  to  take  the  field, 
with  instructions  to  raise  troops  at  his  discretion,  and 
conform  to  the  orders  previously  given  to  General 
Gaines,  as  to  the  method  of  prosecuting  the  war.  An 
appeal  from  the  general,  to  the  patriotism  of  the  volun 
teers  of  West  Tennessee,  soon  brought  a  thousand  sol 
diers  into  the  service.  They  were  ordered  to  rendez 
vous  at  Fayetteville  and  proceed  to  Fort  Scott. 


CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  &EM1NOLES.  297 

The  general  now  left  his  residence  at  Nashville,  ana 
on  the  9th  of  March  arrived  at  Fort  Scott,  with  nine 
hundred  Georgia  militia.  He  crossed  the  Flint  rivei 
on  the  10th,  and  arrived  on  the  16th  at  Prospect  Bluff', 
where  he  erected  a  fort,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
Fort  Gadsden,  in  honour  of  the  engineer  engaged  in 
its  erection.  General  Gaines  had  joined  him  on  the 
march. 

Being  nearly  destitute  of  provisions,  General  Jack 
son  determined  to  sustain  the  army  by  causing  supplies 
to  be  transported  up  the  Escambia,  passing  Pensacola 
and  the  fortress  of  Barancas.  He  accordingly  wrote 
to  the  Spanish  governor  of  West  Florida,  that  he  should 
consider  any  interruption  to  this  proceeding,  on  his  part, 
as  an  act  of  hostility  against  the  United  States.  The 
governor  demanded  duties  on  the  stores,  but  did  not 
venture  to  enforce  his  demand. 

M'Intosh,  the  Creek  chief,  with  one  thousand  five 
hundred  warriors,  having  entered  the  service  of  the 
United  States  in  this  expedition,  the  whole  force  of 
General  Jackson  now  amounted  to  four  thousand  three 
hundred  men.  The  enemy  consisted  of  runaway  In 
dians  and  negroes  to  the  amount  of  one-quarter  or  one- 
third  of  that  number.  No  serious  contest  could  be 
anticipated ;  and,  accordingly,  the  subsequent  operations 
constituted,  as  Jackson  afterwards  aptly  denominated 
it,  "  a  war  of  movements." 

On  the  1st  of  April,  the  Tennessee  volunteers  joined 
the  main  body,  which  had  then  nearly  reached  the 
Mickasuky  villages.  As  they  approached  them,  the 
outposts  had  a  trifling  skirmish  with  some  Indians,  who 
soon  fled ;  and  the  villages,  on  the  arrival  of  the  army, 
were  found  deserted  by  their  inhabitants.  The  wigwams 
were  burnt ;  the  old  red  stick,  with  the  scalps  of  Lieu 
tenant  Scott's  party  attached  to  it,  was  found  still 
standing. 

M'Intosh  and  his  warriors  were  ordered  to  scour 
the  neighbouring  country  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives ; 
and  General  Jackson  now  marched  to  the  Spanish 
fort  of  St.  Mark's,  took  possession  of  it,  hoisted  the 


298  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

American  flag,  and  shipped  the  Spanish  garrison  to 
Pensacola. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  this  place  was  found  a 
Scotch  trader,  named  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  who  had 
been  carrying  on  an  extensive  intercourse  with  the 
hostile  Indians  and  negroes.  The  general  put  him  in 
close  confinement.  Francis  Hillishago,  the  Creek  chief, 
and  Hoonotlemied,  a  Red-Stick  chief,  who  had  led  the 
murderers  of  Lieutenant  Scott's  party,  and  had  been 
decoyed  on  board  a  vessel  in  Apalachee  bay,  by  Cap 
tain  M'Keever,  were  now  hung  by  the  general's  order. 

The  general  then  left  a  small  garrison  at  St.  Mark's, 
and  on  the  9th  of  April  marched  for  the  Sawaney  villages. 
distant  one  hundred  and  seven  miles.  He  arrived  there 
on  the  16th,  killed  eleven  Indians,  and  took  two  prison 
ers.  The  next  day  the  villages  were  destroyed,  and 
parties  were  sent  out  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives.  Ar- 
buthnot's  schooner  was  captured  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Sawaney  river,  and  employed  in  transporting  the  sick 
and  baggage  of  the  army  to  St.  Mark's.  On  the  18th, 
Robert  C.  Ambrister,  late  a  lieutenant  of  marines  in 
the  British  service,  under  Nicholls,  was  captured  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  villages. 

The  war  was  now  considered  as  having  terminated. 
The  Georgia  militia  and  M'Intosh's  Indians  were  dis 
charged;  and  on  the  llth  of  April  the  main  body  set 
out  for  St.  Mark's,  and  after  a  rapid  march  of  five  days 
arrived  at  that  place. 

It  is  foreign  to  our  purpose  to  go  into  a  history  of 
what  was  denominated,  at  that  time,  the  Arbuthnot  and 
Ambrister  affair.  The  proceedings  in  relation  to  their 
trial  were  certainly  of  a  very  summary  character,  and 
they  were  put  to  death ;  but  whether  as  outlaws,  spies, 
or  pirates,  we  must  leave  to  General  Jackson  to  decide. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  however,  that  the  proceedings 
of  the  general,  in  relation  to  these  men,  were  justified 
by  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  and  the  parliament 
of  Great  Britain.  The  Spanish  government  complained, 
but  were  silenced  by  the  answer  of  Mr.  Adams. 

At  St.  Mark's,  General  Jackson  received  intelligence 


FLORIDA  OCCUPIED  BY  AMERICAN  TROOPS. 


299 


that  some  of  the  fugitive  Seminoles  had  escaped  to 
West  Florida.  He,  therefore,  after  leaving  a  garrison 
in  the  fort,  marched  into  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  Pensacola.  The  Spanish  governor  remonstrated ; 
the  general  occupied  the  town,  and  the  governor  and 
garrison  were  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the  fortress 
of  Barancas.  (24th  May.)  The  fort  was  now  invested 
and  bombarded  till  the  27th  of  May,  when  it  was  sur 
rendered  to  the  United  States.  St.  Augustine,  the  only 
remaining  Spanish  fortress,  being  subsequently  cap 
tured  by  General  Gaines,  in  obedience  to  Jackson's 
orders,  the  whole  province  was  in  the  military  posses 
sion  of  the  United  States ;  and  the  Seminole  war  had 
ended  in  the  conquest  of  Florida. 

The  diplomatic  proceedings  which  followed  this 
event,  the  temporary  restoration  of  the  province,  and 
its  final  cession,  are  matters  which  belong  to  the  civil 
history  of  the  United  States. 

Subsequent  events  have  made  it  pretty  apparent,  that 
in  this  war  the  Seminoles  were  not  all  killed. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


BLACK   HAWK'S   WAR. 


[LACK  HAWK,  the  In 
dian  chief  whose  fame 
has  been  recently  so 
widely  extended  among 
us,  was  born  on  Rock 
river,  in  Illinois,  about 
the  year  1767.  His  great 
grandfather  was  a  chief 
by  the  name  of  Nana- 
makee,  or  Thunder.  Hav 
ing,  at  the  early  age  of 
fifteen,  taken  the  scalp  of  an  enemy,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  rank  of  a  brave.  A  short  time  afterwards,  he 
joined  in  a  war-party  against  the  Osages,  and  was 
greatly  distinguished  for  his  valour.  On  his  return,  he 
was  allowed  to  join  in  the  scalp-dance  of  the  nation. 
His  reputation  being  thus  established,  he  frequently  led 
war-parties  against  the  enemies  of  his  tribe,  and  was 
in  almost  every  case  successful. 

The  treaty  which  had  been  made  in  1804,  by  Go 
vernor  Harrison,  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  by  which 
they  ceded  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  was  ex 
ecuted  by  a  few  chiefs,  without  the  knowledge  or  con 
sent  of  the  nation.  Therefore,  when  Fort  Madison  was 
erected  by  the  Americans,  upon  the  Mississippi,  these 
tribes  expressed  their  dissatisfaction  in  an  open  manner, 
and  even  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  cut  off  the 
garrison. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  territory  of  Illinois  had  been 
admitted  into  the  Union,  and  now  formed  a  state.  Emi- 

(300) 


AGGRESSIONS  UPON  THE  INDIANS.  301 

grants  poured  in  from  all  parts,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
territory  occupied  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  was  com 
pletely  surrounded  by  the  settlements  of  the  white  men. 
These  soon  began  to  commit  outrages  upon  their  red 
neighbours,  in  order  to  hasten  their  departure  from  the 
ceded  territory.  In  1827,  when  these  tribes  were  ab 
sent  from  their  homes,  engaged  in  hunting,  some  of  the 
whites  set  fire  to  their  village,  by  which  forty  houses 
were  consumed.  The  Indians  said  nothing  concerning 
this  disgraceful  act;  but,  on  their  return,  quietly  rebuilt 
their  dwellings.  The  whites  also  turned  their  cattle 
into  the  fields  of  the  Indians,  by  which  means  the  corn 
was  all  trodden  under  foot  and  destroyed. 

The  American  government  now  determined  to  sell 
the  lands  occupied  by  these  tribes  of  Indians,  and  they 
were  accordingly  advised  to  remove.  Keokuk,  the 
chief,  with  a  majority  of  the  nation,  determined  to  do 
so ;  but  Black  Hawk,  with  a  party  which  he  gained 
over  to  himself,  resolved  to  remain,  at  all  hazards. 

Meanwhile,  the  whites  committed  greater  acts  of 
violence  upon  the  Indians  than  before.  The  latter  at 
last  took  up  arms,  and  a  war  would  certainly  have 
taken  place,  had  not  General  Gaines,  commander  of  the 
western  division  of  the  United  States'  army,  hastened 
to  the  scene  of  action.  He  held  a  council  with  the 
principal  chiefs,  in  which  it  was  agreed  that  the  nation 
should  instantly  remove.  They  accordingly  crossed  the 
river  and  settled  on  its  western  bank. 

The  majority  of  the  Indians  were  on  peaceable  terms 
with  the  United  States.  But  Black  Hawk  and  his  band 
determined  to  return  to  Illinois,  alleging  that  they  had 
been  invited  by  the  Potawatamies,  residing  on  Rock 
river,  to  spend  the  summer  with  them,  and  plant  corn 
on  their  lands. 

Accordingly,  they  crossed  the  Mississippi  and  pro 
ceeded  towards  the  country  of  the  Potawatamies.  They 
did  not  attempt  to  harm  any  one  upon  the  road.  The 
traveller  passed  by  them  without  receiving  any  injury, 
and  the  inmates  of  the  lowly  hut  experienced  no  out 
rage.  Thus  they  continued,  and  without  doubt,  no  vio- 


302  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

lence  would  have  been  committed  by  them,  had  not  the 
whites  been  the  first  to  shed  blood.  Five  or  six  Indians, 
who  were  in  advance  of  the  party,  were  all  captured 
and  put  to  death,  by  a  battalion  of  mounted  militia,  ex 
cept  one  who  made  his  escape.  The  one  who  escaped 
•brought  the  news  to  Black  Hawk,  who  immediately 
determined  to  be  revenged.  He  therefore  planned  an 
ambuscade,  into  which  the  militia  were  enticed.  On 
receiving  the  fire  of  the  Indians,  they  became  panic- 
struck,  and  fled  in  disorder,  with  the  loss  of  fourteen 
men. 

The  Indians,  now  that  the  war  was  begun,  deter 
mined  to  do  all  the  mischief  in  their  power.  They 
accordingly  divided  into  small  parties,  proceeded  in 
different  directions,  and  fell  upon  the  settlements  which 
were  at  that  time  thinly  scattered  over  a  greater  por 
tion  of  Illinois.  Here  they  committed  such  outrages 
that  the  whole  state  was  in  the  greatest  excitement. 
Governor  Reynolds  ordered  out  two  thousand  addi 
tional  militia,  who,  on  the  10th  of  June,  assembled  at 
Hennepin,  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  were  soon  engaged 
in  pursuit  of  the  Indians. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1832,  the  Indians  attacked  a 
small  settlement  on  Indian  Creek,  and  killed  fifteen  per 
sons,  besides  taking  considerable  plunder.  On  the  14th 
of  June,  five  persons  were  killed  near  Galena.  General 
Dodge  being  in  the  neighbourhood,  marched  with  thirty 
of  his  mounted  men  immediately  in  search  of  them. 
When  he  had  gone  about  three  miles,  he  discovered 
twelve  Indians,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  the  party  that 
had  committed  the  murders,  and  he  entered  into  the  pur 
suit  with  great  spirit.  The  Indians  made  for  a  swamp, 
in  which  they  immediately  took  shelter.  The  whites 
rushed  in  after  them,  and  soon  met  them.  No  resistance 
was  made ;  every  Indian  was  killed,  and  their  scalps 
were  taken  off  and  borne  away  in  triumph. 

Meanwhile,  General  Atkinson  was  pursuing  Black 
Hawk,  whose  camp  was  near  the  Four  Lakes.  Instead 
of  crossing  the  country,  to  retreat  beyond  the  Missis- 
sipoi,  as  was  expected,  he  descended  the  Wisconsin,  to 


D ALTON  FOUND,  MURDEEED  BY  THE  INDIANS.  Page  80S. 


BLACK  HAWK  PURSUED.  303 

escape  in  that  direction;  by  which  means  General 
Dodge  came  upon  his  trail  and  commenced  a  vigorous 
pursuit. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  Dodge,  with  about  two  hundred 
men,  besides  Indians,  came  up  with  Black  Hawk,  on 
the  Wisconsin,  forty  miles  from  Fort  Winnebago.  The 
whites  came  upon  the  Indians  just  as  they  were  about 
to  cross  the  river ;  after  a  short  engagement  the  Indians 
retreated ;  and,  it  being  dark,  the  whites  could  not  pur 
sue  them  without  disadvantage  to  themselves.  Black 
Hawk's  party,  it  is  supposed,  lost  about  forty  men  in 
this  encounter. 

The  Indians  were  now  in  a  truly  deplorable  condition ; 
several  of  them  were  greatly  emaciated  for  want  of 
food,  and  some  even  starved  to  death.  In  their  pursuit 
of  them  before  the  battle,  the  whites  found  several  of 
their  number  lying  dead  on  the  road.  Yet  were  they 
not  altogether  dispirited,  and  they  resolved  to  continue 
hostilities  as  long  as  they  were  able. 

In  the  affair  which  we  have  just  related,  a  squaw, 
the  wife  of  a  warrior,  called  Big-Lake,  was  taken 
prisoner.  From  her  the  whites  learned  that  Black 
Hawk  intended  to  proceed  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  above  Prairie  du  Chien ;  those  having  horses 
were  to  strike  across  the  country,  whilst  the  others 
were  to  proceed  by  the  Wisconsin.  A  great  many  of 
these  latter  were  taken  prisoners  on  the  road  by  the 
whites. 

Several  circumstances  now  transpired  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  the  main  body  under  Black  Hawk.  The 
first  was  his  falling  in  with  the  "  Warrior "  steam 
boat,  (August  1st,)  just  as  he  was  about  to  cross  the 
Mississippi.  On  this  occasion,  the  chief  did  not  wish 
to  fight,  but  to  escape.  He  displayed  two  white  flags ; 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  men  came  to 
the  river  without  arms,  making  signs  of  submission. 
But  J.  Throckmorton,  the  commander  of  the  boat, 
either  could  not  or  would  not  understand  their  signals ; 
he  gave  orders  for  his  men  to  fire  upon  them,  which 
they  did  •  the  fire  was  returned,  but  without  doing  any 


304  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

damage.  The  engagement  lasted  for  about  an  hour 
when  the  wood  of  the  steam-boat  began  to  fail,  and 
it  proceeded  to  the  Prairie.  In  this  battle,  the  Indians 
had  twenty-three  men  killed,  besides  a  great  many 
wounded ;  while  the  whites  had  none  killed,  and  only 
one  wounded. 

On  the  next  day,  Atkinson's  army  came  up  with 
Black  Hawk,  after  having  encountered  many  incon 
veniences  and  dangers  in  the  march.  He  immediately 
formed  his  troops  in  order  of  battle,  and  attacked 
the  Indians.  However,  lest  some  should  escape  up 
or  down  the  river,  Atkinson  had  ordered  generals 
Alexander  and  Posey  to  form  the  right  wing  of  the 
army,  and  march  down  to  the  river  above  the  Indian 
encampment  on  the  bank,  and  then  move  down.  The 
battle  now  commenced,  and  lasted  for  about  three 
hours.  The  Indians  fought  with  desperation,  and  dis 
puted  the  ground  with  the  greatest  valour.  They  were, 
however,  finally  obliged  to  retreat.  Their  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  amounted  to  about  two  hundred,  while 
that  of  the  Americans  was  but  twenty-seven. 

This  action  may  be  considered  as  the  finishing  stroke 
of  the  war,  although  Black  Hawk  made  his  escape. 
From  this  time  Black  Hawk's  men  continually  deserted 
him,  and  went  over  to  the  whites.  Finally,  the  war 
rior  himself  came  in,  and  surrendered  to  the  agent  at 
Prairie  du  Chien.  On  this  occasion  he  made  a  speech, 
in  which  he  said  that  he  regretted  his  being  obliged  to 
close  the  war  so  soon,  without  having  given  the  whites 
much  more  trouble ;  that  he  had  done  nothing  of  which 
he  had  any  reason  to  be  ashamed  ;  that  an  Indian  who 
was  as  bad  as  the  white  men  would  not  be  allowed  to 
live  in  their  communities  ;  and  ended  with  the  following 
words :  "  Farewell,  my  nation  !  Black  Hawk  tried  to 
save  you,  and  revenge  your  wrongs.  He  drank  the 
blood  of  some  of  the  whites.  He  has  been  taken  pri 
soner,  and  his  plans  are  stopped.  He  can  do  no  more. 
He  is  near  his  end.  His  sun  is  setting,  and  he  will  rise 
no  more.  Farewell  to  Black  Hawk." 

Black  Hawk  was  now  taken  to  Washington,  where 


SEM1NOLE  WAR  305 

he  had  an  interview  with  the  President.  He  was 
then  conducted  through  the  principal  Atlantic  cities, 
and  received  everywhere  with  the  most  marked  atten 
tion  and  hospitality.  He  was  then  set  at  liberty,  and 
returned  to  his  nation.  He  died  on  the  3d  of  October 
1838,  at  his  village,  on  the  Des  Moines  river.*5 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
SEMINOLE    WAR. 


"T  is  generally  admitted  that 
the  existing  Seminole  war 
originated  in  the  opposition 
of  the  Mecasukians,  and 
some  hostile  chiefs  of  the 
Seminole  nation,  to  the 
execution  of  the  treaty  of 
Payne's  Landing.  In  this 
treaty  it  had  been  stipu 
lated  that  the  Seminole 
Indians  should  relinquish 
to  the  United  States  all  claim  to  their  lands,  and  emigrate 
to  the  region  west  of  the  Mississippi,  in  consideration  of 
a  certain  sum  of  money  which  should  be  paid  to  them 
when  they  came  to  the  banks  of  that  river.  It  was 
further  stipulated,  that  a  party  of  these  Indians  should 
visit  the  territory  in  question,  and  give  their  opinion 
concerning  it.  This  party  accordingly  proceeded  thither, 
and  when  they  returned,  reported  very  favourably  of  the 
country. 

Every  preparation  was  now  made  for  leaving  Florida, 


*  See  Hall  &  M'Kenny's  Indian  Biography. 
W 


306  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

when  John  Hext,  one  of  the  chief  men  of  the  tribe, 
who  exercised  a  very  great  influence  over  them,  died. 
Osceola,  or  Powell,  who,  previous  to  this  time,  had 
shown  no  extraordinary  powers,  now  began  to  exhibit 
abilities  which  soon  gave  him,  with  the  Mecasukians, 
the  influence  exercised  by  John  Hext,  but  which  he  wield 
ed  with  far  different  purposes.  For  as  Hext  had  always 
been  in  favour  of  the  emigration,  and  was  peaceably 
disposed,  so  was  Osceola  as  much  opposed  to  it ;  and  by 
every  art  in  his  power  inflamed  the  minds  of  the  people 
against  the  whites,  and  against  the  execution  of  this 
measure.  He  conducted  himself  in  so  violent  a  man 
ner,  that  the  Indian  agent  was  obliged  to  arrest  him 
and  put  him  in  irons.  But,  deceived  by  his  professions 
of  friendship,  he  released  him  on  his  return  to  Fort  King. 

The  first  rupture  with  the  Indians  took  place  near 
Hogs  Town  settlement,  on  the  19th  of  July.  A  party 
of  Indians  had  crossed  their  bounds  for  the  purpose  of 
hunting.  They  separated,  and  agreed  to  meet  each 
other  on  a  certain  day.  Accordingly,  on  that  day  five 
of  the  Indians  had  met  together,  when  a  party  of  white 
men  came  along,  who  flogged  them  with  their  cow- 
whips.  Whilst  they  were  doing  this,  two  other  Indians 
arrived,  who,  seeing  what  was  going  on,  raised  their 
war-whoop,  and  fired  upon  the  whites.  The  fire  was 
returned,  by  which  one  of  the  Indians  was  killed,  and 
the  other  wounded.  Three  of  the  whites  were  also 
wounded. 

On  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  August,  1835,  Dalton, 
who  was  employed  to  carry  the  mail  from  Camp  King 
to  Tampa  Bay,  was  met  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who 
barbarously  murdered  him.  General  Thompson,  the 
Indian  agent,  when  he  heard  of  this  transaction,  con 
vened  the  chiefs,  who  promised  to  bring  the  offenders 
to  justice.  But  this  promise  they  did  not  keep;  arid 
while  they  were  deluding  the  whites  with  fair  promises, 
they  gathered  together  arms,  and  made  preparations 
for  the  war  which  they  meditated. 

In  September,  Charley  Omathla,  a  friendly  chief  of 
great  influence,  while  journeying  with  his  daughter, 


HOSTILITIES  BY  THE  SEMINOLES.  307 

was  waylaid  and  shot  by  some  Mecasukies,  led  by 
Osceola,  probably  with  a  view  to  deter  other  chiefs  from 
favouring  the  operations  of  our  government,  which 
were  steadily  directed  to  the  entire  removal  of  the  In 
dians  to  the  region  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  occurrence  of  these  and  similar  hostilities,  in 
duced  General  Clinch,  the  officer  commanding  on  that 
frontier,  to  represent  to  the  general  government  the  im 
portance  of  having  an  efficient  force  placed  at  his  dis 
posal,  for  terminating  the  war.  It  will  be  recollected 
by  the  reader,  that  General  Jackson,  when  in  similar 
circumstances  himself,  had  assumed  powers  almost  dic 
tatorial,  raised  between  four  and  five  thousand  troops, 
and  conquered  Florida  from  the  Spaniards,  without 
being  able  to  find  above  a  dozen  or  two  of  the  Indians 
to  kill.  As  president  of  the  United  States,  he  conducted 
this  war  in  a  very  different  style,  having  probably  a 
different  object. 

General  Clinch,  at  the  commencement  of  the  hostili 
ties,  had  no  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  regulars. 
Receiving  no  seasonable  aid  from  President  Jackson, 
he  called  on  the  executive  of  Florida  for  assistance, 
obtained  six  hundred  and  fifty  militia,  and  with  this 
force  made  a  demonstration  on  the  Ouithlacoochee 
river. 

It  was  while  the  army  was  advancing  in  this  direction 
that  the  most  signal  disaster,  of  this  truly  disastrous 
and  disgraceful  war,  took  place — the  total  destruction 
of  the  detachment  commanded  by  Major  Dade. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  the  companies  of  Captains 
Gardiner  and  Frazer  of  the  United  States  army,  under 
Major  Dade,  marched  from  Tampa  Bay  for  Camp 
King.  The  first  halt  was  made  at  Hillsborough  Bridge. 
Here  Major  Dade  wrote  to  Major  Belton,  urging  him 
to  forward  a  six-pounder,  which  had  been  left  four  miles 
behind,  in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  the  team  which 
was  to  have  been  used  in  transporting  it.  Three  horses 
were  purchased,  with  the  necessary  harness,  ana  it 
joined  the  column  that  night. 

From  this  time  no  more  was  heard  of  the  detach- 
29 


308  INDIAN   WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ment  until  the  29th  of  December,  when  John  Thomas, 
one  of  the  soldiers,  returned,  and  on  the  31st,  Rawson 
Clarke.  The  account  given  by  the  latter  of  the  fate 
of  the  detachment  is  as  follows : 

"  It  was  eight  o'clock.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  rifle  shot 
in  the  direction  of  the  advanced  guard,  and  this  was 
immediately  followed  by  a  musket  shot  from  that  quar 
ter.  Captain  Frazer  had  ridden  by  me  a  moment  before 
in  that  direction.  I  never  saw  him  afterwards.  1  had 
not  time  to  think  of  the  meaning  of  these  shots,  before 
a  volley,  as  if  from  a  thousand  rifles,  was  poured  in 
upon  us  from  the  front,  and  all  along  our  left  flank.  1 
looked  around  me,  and  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  the  only 
one  left  standing  in  the  right  wing.  Neither  could  I,  until 
several  other  volleys  had  been  fired  at  us,  see  an  enemy 
— and  when  I  did,  I  could  only  see  their  heads  and  arms 
peering  out  from  the  long  grass,  far  and  near,  and  from 
behind  the  pine  trees.  The  ground  seemed  to  me  an 
open  pine  barren,  no  hammock  near  that  I  could  see. 
On  our  right,  and  a  little  to  our  rear,  was  a  large  pond 
of  water,  some  distance  off.  All  around  us  were  heavy 
pine  trees,  very  open,  particularly  towards  the  left,  and 
abounding  with  long  high  grass.  The  first  fire  of  the 
Indians  was  the  most  destructive,  seemingly  killing  or 
disabling  one  half  our  men. 

"We  promptly  threw  ourselves  behind  trees,  and 
opened  a  sharp  fire  of  musketry.  I,  for  one,  never  fired 
without  seeing  my  man,  that  is,  his  head  and  shoulders. 
The  Indians  chiefly  fired  lying  or  squatting  in  the  grass. 
Lieutenant  Bassinger  fired  five  or  six  pounds  of  cannister 
from  the  cannon.  This  appeared  to  frighten  the  Indians, 
and  they  retreated  over  a  little  hill  to  our  left,  one-half 
or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  off,  after  having  fired  not 
more  than  twelve  or  fifteen  rounds.  We  immediately 
then  began  to  fell  trees,  and  erect  a  little  triangular 
breastwork.  Some  of  us  went  forward  to  gather  the 
cartridge  boxes  from  the  dead,  and  to  assist  the  wound 
ed.  I  had  seen  Major  Dade  fall  to  the  ground  by  the 
first  volley,  and  his  horse  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy  Whilst  gathering  the  cartridges,  I  saw  Lieu- 


(310) 


DESTRUCTION  OF  DADE'S  DE1ACHMENT.  311 

tenant  Mudge  sitting  with  his  back  reclining  against  a 
tree,  his  head  fallen,  and  evidently  dying.  I  spoke  to 
him,  but  he  did  not  answer.  The  interpreter,  Louis,  it 
is  said,  fell  by  the  first  fire.* 

"  We  had  barely  raised  our  breastwork  knee  high, 
when  we  again  saw  the  Indians  advancing  in  great 
numbers  over  the  hill  to  our  left.  They  came  on  boldly 
till  within  a  long  musket  shot,  when  they  spread  them 
selves  from  tree  to  tree  to  surround  us.  We  immediately 
extended  as  Light  Infantry,  covering  ourselves  by  the 
trees,  and  opening  a  brisk  fire  from  cannon  and  musketry. 
The  former  I  dont  think  could  have  done  much  mischief, 
the  Indians  were  so  scattered.  (See  Engraving  on  the 
opposite  page.) 

"  Captain  Gardiner,  Lieutenant  Bassinger,  and  Dr. 
Gatlen,  were  the  only  officers  left  unhurt  by  the  volley 
which  killed  Major  Bade.  Lieutenant  Henderson  had 
his  left  arm  broken,  but  he  continued  to  load  his  musket 
and  to  fire  it,  resting  on  the  stump,  until  he  was  finally 
shot  down ;  towards  the  close  of  the  second  attack,  and 
during  the  day,  he  kept  up  his  spirits,  and  cheered  the 
men.  Lieutenant  Keyes  had  both  his  arms  broken  in 
the  first  attack ;  they  were  bound  up  and  slung  in  a 
handkerchief,  and  he  sat  for  the  remainder  of  the  day, 
until  he  was  killed,  reclining  against  the  breastwork, 
his  head  often  reposing  upon  it,  regardless  of  everything 
that  was  passing  around  him. 

"  Our  men  were  by  degrees  all  cut  down.  We  had 
maintained  a  steady  fight  from  eight  until  two,  P.  M., 
or  thereabouts,  and  allowing  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
interval  betwreen  the  first  and  second  attack,  had  been 
pretty  busily  engaged  for  more  than  five  hours.  Lieu 
tenant  Bassinger  was  the  only  officer  left  alive,  and  he 
severely  wounded.  He  told  me  as  the  Indians  ap 
proached  to  lie  down  and  feign  myself  dead.  I  looked 
through  the  logs,  and  saw  the  savages  approaching  in 


*It  has  since  been  learned  that  this  person  only  feigned  death, 
and  that  he  was  spared,  and  read  all  the  dispatches  and  letters 
vhat  were  found  upon  the  dead  to  the  victors. — Cohen. 


312  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

great  numbers.  A  heavy-made  Indian,  of  middle  stature 
painted  down  to  the  waist,  and  whom  I  suppose  to  have 
been  Micanope,  seemed  to  be  the  chief.  He  made 
them  a  speech,  frequently  pointing  to  the  breastwork. 
At  length,  they  charged  into  the  work  ;  there  was  none 
to  offer  resistance,  and  they  did  not  seem  to  suspect  the 
wounded  being  alive — offering  no  indignity,  but  stepping 
about  carefully,  quietly  stripping  off  our  accoutrements, 
and  carrying  away  our  arms.  They  then  retired  in  a 
body  in  the  direction  from  whence  they  came. 

"  Immediately  upon  their  retreat,  forty  or  fifty  negroes 
on  horseback,  galloped  up  and  alighted,  tied  their  beasts, 
and  commenced  with  horrid  shouts  and  yells  the  butch 
ering  of  the  wounded,  together  with  an  indiscriminate 
plunder,  stripping  the  bodies  of  the  dead  of  clothing, 
watches,  and  money,  and  splitting  open  the  heads  of  all 
who  showed  the  least  signs  of  life  with  their  axes  and 
knives ;  and  accompanying  their  bloody  work  with 
obscene  and  taunting  derision,  and  with  frequent  cries 
of  "  what  have  you  got  to  sell  V 

"  Lieutenant  Bassinger  hearing  the  negroes  butcher 
ing  the  wounded,  at  length  sprang  up,  and  asked  them 
to  spare  his  life.  They  met  him  with  the  blows  of  their 
axes,  and  their  fiendish  laughter.  Having  been  wounded 
in  five  different  places  myself,  I  was  pretty  well  covered 
with  blood,  and  two  scratches  that  I  had  received  on 
my  head,  gave  me  the  appearance  of  having  been  shot 
through  the  brain,  for  the  negroes,  after  catching  me 
up  by  the  heels,  threw  me  down,  saying,  '  damn  him, 
he  *s  dead  enough !'  They  then  stripped  me  of  my 
clothes,  shoes,  and  hat,  and  left  me.  After  stripping  all 
the  dead  in  this  manner,  they  trundled  off  the  cannon 
in  the  direction  the  Indians  had  gone,  and  went  away. 
I  saw  them  first  shoot  down  the  oxen  in  their  gear, 
and  burn  the  wagon. 

"  One  of  the  other  soldiers  who  escaped,  says  they 
threw  the  cannon  in  the  pond,  and  burned  its  carriage 
also.  Shortly  after  the  negroes  went  away,  one  Wilson, 
of  Captain  Gardiner's  company,  crept  from  under  some 
of  the  dead  bodies,  and  hardly  seemed  to  be  hurt  at  all. 


ESCAPE  OF  A  PRIVATE  SOLDIER.  313 

He  asked  me  to  go  with  him  back  to  the  fort,  and  1 
was  going  to  follow  him,  when,  as  he  jumped  over  the 
breastwork,  an  Indian  sprang  from  behind  a  tree  and 
shot  him  down.  I  then  lay  quiet  until  nine  o'clock  that 
night,  when  D.  Long,  the  only  living  soul  beside  myself, 
and  I,  started  upon  our  journey.  We  knew  it  was 
nearest  to  go  to  Fort  King,  but  we  did  not  know  the 
way,  and  we  had  seen  the  enemies  retreat  in  that  di 
rection.  As  I  came  out,  I  saw  Dr.  Gatlin  lying  stript 
amongst  the  dead.  The  last  I  saw  of  him  whilst  living, 
was  kneeling  behind  the  breastwork,  with  two  double 
barrel  guns  by  him,  and  he  said,  *  Well,  I  have  got  four 
barrels  for  them  !'  Captain  Gardiner,  after  being  se 
verely  wounded,  cried  out,  *  I  can  give  you  no  more 
orders,  my  lads,  do  your  best!'  I  last  saw  a  negro 

rirn  his  body,  saying,  with  an  oath,  *  that 's  one  of 
ir  officers.' 

"  My  comrade  and  myself  got  along  quite  well  until 
the  next  day,  when  we  met  an  Indian  on  horseback, 
and  with  a  rifle,  coming  up  the  road.  Our  only  chance 
was  to  separate — we  did  so.  I  took  the  right,  and  he 
the  left  of  the  road.  The  Indian  pursued  him.  Shortly 
afterwards  I  heard  a  rifle  shot,  and  a  little  after  another. 
I  concealed  myself  among  some  scrub,  and  saw  pal 
metto,  and  after  a  while  saw  the  Indian  pass,  looking 
for  me.  Suddenly,  however,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse, 
and  went  off  at  a  gallop  towards  the  road. 

"  I  made  something  of  a  circuit  before  I  struck  the 
beaten  track  again.  That  night  I  was  a  good  deal  an 
noyed  by  the  wolves,  who  had  scented  my  blood,  and 
came  very  close  to  me  ;  the  next  day,  the  30th,  I  reached 
the  fort." 

The  following  is  the  report  of  Captain  Hitchcock 
concerning  this  affair : 

"WESTERN  DEPARTMENT,       ) 
Fort  King,  Florida,  Feb.  22,  1836.  ] 

"  GENERAL — Agreeably  to  your  directions,  I  observed 
the  battle  ground  six  or  seven  miles  north  of  the  With- 
lacoochee  river,  where  Major  Dade  and  his  command 
Were  destroyed  by  the  Seminole  Indians,  on  the  28th 


314  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

December  last,  and  have  the  honour  to  submit  the  fol- 
.owing  report : 

"  The  force  under  your  command,  which  arrived  at 
this  post  to-day  from  Tampa  Bay,  encamped  on  the 
19th  instant,  on  the  ground  occupied  by  Major  Dade 
on  the  night  of  the  27th  December.  He  and  his  party 
were  destroyed  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  about  four 
miles  in  advance  of  that  position.  He  was  advancing 
towards  this  post,  and  was  attacked  from  the  north ;  so 
that  on  the  20th  instant  we  came  upon  the  rear  of  his 
oattle  ground,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Our 
advanced  guard  had  passed  the  ground  without  halting, 
when»the  General  and  his  Staff  came  upon  one  of  the 
most  appalling  scenes  that  can  be  imagined.  We  first 
saw  some  broken  and  scattered  bones ;  then  a  cart,  the 
two  oxen  of  which  were  lying  dead,  as  if  they  had 
fallen  asleep,  their  yokes  still  on  them ;  a  little  to  the 
right,  one  or  two  horses  were  seen.  We  then  came  to 
a  small  enclosure,  made  by  felling  trees  in  such  a  man 
ner  as  to  form  a  triangular  breast-work  for  defence. 
Within  the  triangle,  along  the  north  and  west  faces  of 
it,  were  about  thirty  bodies,  mostly  mere  skeletons,  al 
though  much  of  the  clothing  was  left  upon  them.  These 
were  lying,  every  one  of  them,  in  precisely  the  same 
position  they  must  have  occupied  during  the  fight ;  their 
heads  next  to  the  logs  over  which  they  had  delivered 
their  fire,  and  their  bodies  stretched  with  striking  regu 
larity  parallel  to  each  other.  They  had  evidently  been 
shot  dead  at  their  posts,  and  the  Indians  had  not  dis 
turbed  them,  except  by  taking  the  scalps  of  most  of 
them.  Passing  this  little  breast-work,  we  found  other 
bodies  along  the  road,  generally  behind  trees,  which  had 
been  resorted  to  for  covers  from  the  enemies'  fire.  Ad 
vancing  about  two  hundred  yards  farther,  we  found  a 
cluster  of  bodies  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  They  were 
evidently  the  advanced  guard,  in  the  rear  of  which 
was  the  body  of  Major  Dade,  and  to  the  right  that  of 
Captain  Fraser. 

"  These  were  doubtless  all  shot  down  by  the  first  fire 
of  the  Indians,  except,  perhaps,  Captain  Fraser,  who 


APPEARANCE  OF  DADE'S  BATTLE  GROUND.    315 

must,  however,  have  fallen  very  early  in  the  fight* 
Those  in  the  road,  and  by  the  trees,  fell  during  the  first 
attack.  It  was  during  a  cessation  of  the  fire,  that  the 
little  band  still  remaining,  about  thirty  in  number,  threw 
up  the  triangular  breast-work,  which,  from  the  haste 
with  which  it  was  constructed,  was  necessarily  defective, 
and  could  not  protect  the  men  in  the  second  attack. 

"  We  had  with  us  many  of  the  personal  friends  of 
the  officers  of  Major  Dade's  command ;  and  it  is  grati 
fying  to  be  able  to  state,  that  every  officer  was  identi 
fied  by  undoubted  evidence.  They  were  buried,  and 
the  cannon,  a  six-pounder,  that  the  Indians  had  thrown 
into  a  swamp,  was  recovered,  and  placed  vertically  at 
the  head  of  the  grave,  where  it  is  to  be  hoped  it  will 
long  remain.  The  bodies  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  were  buried  in  two  graves,  and  it 
was  found  that  every  man  was  accounted  for.  The 
command  was  composed  of  eight  officers,  and  one 
hundred  and  two  non-commissioned  officers  and  pri 
vates.  The  bodies  of  eight  officers  and  ninety-eight 
men  were  interred ;  four  men  having  escaped,  three  of 
whom  reached  Tampa  Bay ;  the  fourth  was  killed  the 
day  after  the  battle. 

"  It  may  be  proper  to  remark,  that  the  attack  was 
not  made  from  a  hammock,  but  in  a  thinly  wooded 
country ;  the  Indians  being  concealed  by  palmetto  and 
grass,  which  has  since  been  burned. 

"  The  two  companies  were  Captain  Frazer's  of  the 
3d  Artillery,  and  Captain  Gardiner's  of  the  2d  Artillery. 
The  officers  were,  Major  Dade  of  the  4th  Infantry, 
Captains  Fraser  and  Gardiner,  Second  Lieutenant  Bas- 
singer,  Brevet  Second  Lieutenants  R.  Henderson,  Mudge 
and  Keyes,  of  the  Artillery,  and  Dr.  J.  S.  Gatlin. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  the  highest  respect, 
your  obedient  servant, 

E.  A.  HITCHCOCK, 
Captain  1st  Infantry,  Act.  In.  General. 

Major  General  E.  P.  GAINES, 
Commanding  Western  Department,  Fort  King,  Florida.* 


316  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Thus  perished  the  gallant  Bade  anJ  his  command  by 
the  hand  of  a  cruel  and  savage  foe.  They  maintained 
their  ground  until  none  were  left  unwounded,  and  then 
those  who  were  not  dead  were  massacred  by  a  cruel 
and  bloodthirsty  foe.  Their  names  are  honoured  by  all, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  the  nation  may  erect  some  enduring 
memorial  which  shall  mark  the  scene  of  their  suffering, 
and  record  the  virtues  of  these  martyrs  in  their  country's 
cause. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  1836,  a  party  of  thirty  Indians 
made  an  attack  on  Mr.  Cooly's  family,  settled  on  New 
River,  about  twelve  miles  from  Cape  Florida,  whilst  he 
was  absent  from  home.  They  murdered  his  wife,  three 
children,  and  a  Mr.  Flinton,  who  was  employed  as  their 
teacher.  Mrl  Cooly  had  long  resided  among  the  Indians, 
learnt  their  language,  and  uniformly  treated  them  with 
kindness.  But,  notwithstanding  these  circumstances, 
they  massacred  his  whole  family  in  cold  blood.  The 
families  in  the  neighbourhood,  seeing  what  was  going 
on,  made  their  escape,  and  thus  avoided  a  similar  fate. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1835,  General  Clinch 
pushed  forward  across  the  Ouithlacoochee,  to  attack 
the  Indians  who  were  encamped  about  a  mile  from  that 
river.  The  following  account  of  this  engagement  is 
taken  from  the  general's  official  report : 

"  HEAD  QUARTERS,  TERRITORY  OF  FLORIDA,  ) 
Fort  Drane,  Jan.  4,  1836.  $ 

"  SIR — On  the  24th  ultimo,  Brigadier  General  Call, 
commanding  the  volunteers  called  into  service  by  order 
of  his  Excellency  G.  R.  Walker,  Acting  Governor  of 
Florida,  formed  a  junction  with  the  regular  troops  at 
this  post,  and  informed  rne  that  his  command  had  been 
raised  to  meet  the  crisis ;  that  most  of  their  terms  of 
service  would  expire  in  a  few  days,  which  made  it 
necessary  to  act  promptly.  Two  large  detachments 
were  sent  out  on  the  15th,  to  scour  the  country  on  our 
right  and  left  flank.  Lieut.  Col.  Fanning,  with  three 
companies  from  Fort  King,  arrived  on  the  27th ;  and 
on  the  29th,  the  detachment  having  returned,  the  Bri- 


BATTLE  OF  THE  OUITHLACOOCHEE  317 

gade  of  Mounted  Volunteers,  composed  of  the  1st  and 
2d  regiments,  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  Call, 
and  a'battalion  of  regular  troops,  commanded  by  Lieut. 
Col.  Fanning,  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  a  point  on 
the  Ouithlacoochee  river,  which  was  represented  by  our 
guides  as  being  a  good  ford.  About  four  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  31st,  after  leaving  all  our  baggage,  pro 
visions,  &c.,  protected  by  a  guard  commanded  by  Lieut. 
Dancy,  we  pushed  on  with  a  view  of  carrying  the  ford, 
and  of  surprising  the  main  body  of  Indians,  supposed 
to  be  concentrated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river ;  but 
on  reaching  it,  about  day-light,  we  found,  instead  of  a 
good  ford,  a  deep  and  rapid  stream,  and  no  means  of 
crossing,  except  in  an  old  and  damaged  canoe.  Lieut. 
Col.  Fanning,  however,  soon  succeeded  in  crossing ; 
the  regular  troops  took  a  position  in  advance,  whilst 
Brig.  Gen.  Call  was  actively  engaged  in  crossing  his 
brigade,  and  in  having  their  horses  swum  over  the  river. 
But  before  one  half  had  crossed,  the  battalion  of  regu 
lars,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred  men,  were  attacked 
by  the  enemy,  who  were  strongly  posted  in  the  swamp 
and  scrub  which  extended  from  the  river.  This  little 
band,  however,  aided  by  Col.  Warren,  Major  Cooper, 
and  Lieut.  Yeoman,  with  twenty-seven  volunteers,  met 
the  attack  of  a  savage  enemy,  nearly  three  times  their 
number,  headed  by  the  Chief  Osceola,  with  Spartan 
valour.  The  action  lasted  nearly  an  hour,  during  which 
time  the  troops  made  three  brilliant  charges  into  the 
swamp  and  scrub,  and  drove  the  enemy  in  every  direc 
tion  ;  and  after  the  third  charge,  although  nearly  one- 
third  their  number  had  been  cut  down,  they  were  found 
sufficiently  firm  and  steady  to  fortify  the  formation  of 
a  new  line  of  battle,  which  gave  entire  protection  to 
the  flanks,  as  well  as  to  the  position  selected  for  re- 
crossing  the  troops.  Brig.  Gen.  Call,  after  using  every 
effort  to  induce  the  volunteers  remaining  on  the  east 
bank,  when  the  action  commenced,  to  cross  the  river, 
and  in  arranging  the  troops  still  remaining  on  that  bank, 
crossed  over,  and  rendered  important  service  by  his 
coolness  and  judgment  in  arranging  part  of  his  corps 


818  INDIAN  WARS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

on  the  right  of  the  regulars,  which  gave  much  strength 
and  security  to  thut  flank." 

Here  the  general  goes  into  a  pretty  minute  enume 
ration  of  the  signal  services  performed  by  sundry  cap 
tains,  lieutenants,  and  sergeants,  of  whom  he  gives  the 
names,  regiments,  &c.,  alter  which  he  thus  concludes : 

"  The  term  of  service  of  the  volunteers  having  ex 
pired,  and  most  of  them  having  expressed  an  unwilling 
ness  to  remain  longer  in  service,  it  was  considered  best, 
after  removing  the  dead,  and  taking  care  of  the  wounded, 
to  return  to  this  post,  which  we  reached  on  the  2d  in 
stant,  without  the  least  interruption ;  and  on  the  follow 
ing  day  the  Volunteers  from  Middle  Florida  took  up  the 
line  of  march  for  Tallahassee,  and  this  morning  those 
from  East  Florida  proceeded  to  their  respective  homes, 
leaving  me  a  very  few  men  to  guard  this  extensive 
frontier.  I  am  now  fully  convinced,  that  there  has  been 
a  great  defection  among  the  Florida  Indians,  and  that  a 
great  many  Creeks  have  united  with  them,  consequently 
it  will  require  a  strong  force  to  put  them  down." 

While  these  operations  were  going  forward  in  the 
western  part  of  the  peninsula,  the  plantations  and  set 
tlements  in  the  neighbourhood  of  St.  Augustine  were 
ravaged  by  the  enemy,  many  of  the  inhabitants  slain, 
and  the  negroes  taken  away.  General  Hernandez,  who 
was  in  command  at  that  place,  ordered  out  the  militia, 
who  were  ill  supplied  with  munitions  and  provisions; 
and  were,  for  the  most  part,  unable  to  follow  the  rapid 
movements  of  the  Indians,  or  even  to  arrest  the  pro 
gress  of  their  devastations.  A  detachment  under  Major 
Putnam,  succeeded  in  bringing  the  Indians  to  action  at 
Dunlawton,  the  plantation  of  George  Anderson ;  a  skir 
mish  took  place,  in  which,  according  to  the  official 
report,  one  negro  was  killed  outright,  and  seventeen 
more  wounded — two  mortally.  The  same  report  claim 
ed  to  have  killed  ten  of  the  Indians ;  and  assigns  the 
immense  superiority  of  the  enemy's  force  as  a  reason 
for  his  retreating  after  what  is  humorously  denominated 
the  Battle  of  Dunlawton. 

At  this  period  of  the  war  it  was  asserted  without 


GAINES'S  EXPEDITION  TO  THE  OUITHLACOOCIIEE      319 

contradiction  in  congress,  that  in  East  Florida  five  hun 
dred  families  had  been  driven  from  their  homes,  and  their 
possessions  destroyed  by  the  Indians ;  and  that  all  this 
individual  suffering,  and  every  other  calamitous  con 
sequence  of  the  contest,  had  been  caused,  not  by  the 
hostility  of  the  savages  to  the  citizens,  but  by  the  de 
termination  of  the  enemy  to  resist  the  fixed  policy  of 
the  government  to  remove  them  to  the  region  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  An  appropriation  was  then  voted  by 
congress  for  the  relief  of  the  families  suffering  by  the 
hostilities  of  the  Indians. 

General  Gaines,  the  commander  of  the  southern  di 
vision  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  was  on  a  tour 
of  observation,  remote  from  the  scene  of  action,  when 
hostilities  commenced.  Arriving  at  New  Orleans,  Jan 
uary  15th,  and  learning  the  state  of  affairs,  he  called 
on  the  governor  of  Louisiana  to  have  a  body  of  volun 
teers  in  readiness  for  service,  and  proceeded  himself  to 
the  seat  of  war.  At  Pensacola  he  found  some  armed 
vessels  under  Commodores  Dallas  and  Bolton,  and  Cap 
tain  Webb,  who  had  commenced  operations  near  Tampa 
Bay.  Colonel  Twigs  was  ordered  to  receive  into  ser 
vice  the  Louisiana  volunteers,  which,  with  the  regular 
troops  in  the  neighbourhood,  amounted  to  one  thousand 
one  hundred  men. 

General  Gaines  now  returned  to  New  Orleans  to 
hasten  the  reinforcements,  and  on  the  9th  of  February 
arrived  at  Tampa  with  the  forces,  in  three  steam-boats. 
He  then  marched  for  Fort.  King,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  22d  February,  and  thence  moved  down  the  Ouith- 
lacoochee.  On  the  27th,  at  General  Clinch's  crossing 
place,  he  had  a  slight  skirmish  with  the  enemy,  in  which 
he  lost  one  killed,  and  eight  wounded. 

On  the  28th,  the  army  was  again  attacked  on  its 
march,  and  the  firing  continued  half  a  day,  during 
which  Lieutenant  Izard,  of  the  United  States  Dragoons, 
fell  mortally  wounded ;  one  other  was  killed,  and  two 
wounded.  On  the  29th  another  attack  took  place,  the 
Indians  appearing  in  considerable  force,  (one  thousand 
five  hundred  or  two  thousand.)  One  man  was  killed, 


320  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

and  thirty-three  wounded ;  General  Gaines  among  the 
latter,  he  having  received  a  shot  in  the  under  lip.  Skir 
mishes  followed  till  the  5th  of  March,  when  Osceola, 
who  commanded  the  Indians,  requested  a  parley,  which 
accordingly  took  place  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  when 
the  Indians  were  informed  that  a  larger  force  was 
coming  to  the  support  of  the  army  before  them,  and 
that  unless  they  submitted,  every  Indian  found  in  arms 
would  be  shot.  They  replied,  that  they  would  hold  a 
council,  and  give  their  answer  in  the  afternoon.  At 
the  afternoon  conference,  they  professed  to  be  tired  of 
the  war,  and  asked  for  further  time  to  learn  the  wishes 
of  their  governor,  Micanopy,  who  was  absent.  They 
were  told  that  on  condition  of  their  retiring  south  of 
the  Ouithlacoochee,  and  attending  a  council  when  called 
on  by  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
they  should  not  be  molested.  To  this  they  agreed;  but 
General  Clinch,  who  had  been  summoned  by  express 
from  Fort  Drane,  coming  upon  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians,  at  this  moment,  they  supposed  themselves  to 
have  been  surrounded  by  deliberate  stratagem,  and  that 
they  were  about  to  be  cut  off;  and  they  incontinently 
fled,  probably  in  no  humour  to  renew  the  negotiation. 
General  Clinch  brought  five  hundred  men,  and  abundant 
supplies,  of  which  General  Gaines's  army  was  in  great 
need,  no  competent  provision  having  been  previously 
made  by  the  commissariat  department. 

General  Gaines  now  transferred  his  command  to 
General  Clinch,  and  returned  to  New  Orleans.  Clinch 
retired  with  his  whole  force  to  Fort  Drane.  In  this 
expedition,  the  whites  lost  five  killed,  and  sixty  wounded ; 
the  Indians  acknowledged  a  loss  of  thirty  men. 

In  January,  1836,  General  Scott  was  ordered  to  as 
sume  the  chief  command  in  Florida.  He  arrived  at 
the  seat  of  war  in  February,  and  immediately  com 
menced  a  series  of  operations,  differing  in  many  re 
spects  from  any  that  had  formerly  been  acted  upon. 
After  placing  his  troops  in  as  good  a  condition  as  pos 
sible,  he  marched  them,  in  three  divisions,  across  the 
hostile  country  as  far  as  Tampa  Bay,  where  sickness 


TRIAL  OF  GENERAL  SCOTT.  gOJ 

and  scarcity  of  provisions  arrested  their  further  pro 
gress.  Tn  spite  of  these  discouraging  circumstances, 
Scott  employed  the  soldiers  who  were  fit  for  duty,  in 
scouring  the  territory  and  penetrating  as  far  as  possi 
ble  into  the  morasses.  But  these  exertions,  though 
made  at  the  expense  of  much  care  and  labour,  resulted 
in  little  good.  The  Indians  if  surprised  on  the  plains 
could  glide  into  the  swamps,  where  they  contrived  to 
baffle  all  pursuit.  The  general  was  subjected  to  the 
mortification  of  seeing  his  plans  frustrated,  the  cam 
paign  failing,  and  his  troops  wasting  under  disease  and 
discouragement.  To  this  was  added  the  loss  of  the 
confidence  of  government.  He  was  superseded  in 
July ;  and  on  receiving  the  intelligence  departed  for 
Washington.  A  narrative  of  the  subsequent  trial  to 
which  the  general  was  subjected  does  not,  perhaps, 
properly  belong  to  a  mere  sketch  of  the  war ;  yet  it 
may  be  justice  to  remark  that  the  members  of  the  court 
expressed  their  unanimous  opinion  "  that  the  plan  of 
the  campaign  adopted  by  General  Scott  was  well  cal 
culated  to  lead  to  successful  results,  and  that  it  was 
prosecuted  by  him,  as  far  as  practicable,  with  zeal  and 
ability  until  recalled  from  the  command." 

General  Scott  was  succeeded  by  General  Jessup,  who 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  term  of  command  was 
stationed  on  or  near  the  Withlacoochee.  During  the 
summer  and  fall  the  Indians  remained  quiet ;  but  in 
winter  they  collected  in  bands,  made  descents  upon  the 
plantations,  burning  or  destroying  all  grain  and  other 
productions,  and  murdering  the  inhabitants.  A  con 
siderable  force  of  regular  troops  and  volunteers  was 
sent  against  them,  but  without  success.  They  were 
followed  by  the  greater  part  of  the  southern  army. 
Exasperated  by  resistance,  the  Seminoles  united  with 
several  other  tribes,  and  began  a  desperate  struggle  to 
expel  the  army.  The  Creeks  were  speedily  reduced 
and  transported  beyond  the  Mississippi.  The  Semi 
noles  continued  hostilities,  wasting  and  massacring 

X 


322  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

whenever  opportunity  permitted,  and  evading  pursuit 
by  retiring  to  the  morasses. 

Toward  the  close  of  1837,  the  Indian  chiefs  amused 
General  Jessup  by  overtures  of  treaties,  and  proposals 
to  accept  the  mediation  of  a  delegation  from  the 
Cherokees.  The  general's  hopes  of  effecting,  what  so 
many  of  his  predecessors  had  failed  to  effect,  were 
cruelly  disappointed ;  and  on  the  19th  of  December, 
he  communicated  that  fact  to  Colonel  Taylor,  then  sta 
tioned  at  Fort  Gardner,  south  of  the  Withlacoochee. 
The  colonel  was  instructed  to  proceed  with  the  least 
possible  delay  against  any  portion  of  the  enemy  he 
might  hear  of  within  striking  distance,  and  to  destroy 
or  capture  it. 

Next  day  Colonel  Taylor  marched  with  about  one 
thousand  men  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  In  the  even 
ing  of  the  same  day,  he  was  met  by  sixty-three  Indians, 
headed  by  the  chief  Jumper.  They  surrendered.  Next 
day  he  received  information  of  a  large  body  of  Indians 
in  his  front ;  but  soon  after,  twenty-two  of  all  ages  and 
both  sexes  met  and  surrendered.  But  the  Indian  chief 
Alligator,  having  sent  a  message  of  defiance,  Taylor 
laid  out  a  small  stockade  fort,  where  he  left  his  heavy 
baggage  and  artillery  with  eighty-five  sick.  These 
were  guarded  by  Captain  Monroe  with  his  company. 
The  colonel  then  pushed  forward,  and  early  the  next 
day  reached  Alligator's  encampment,  situated  on  the 
edge  of  Cabbage-tree  hammock.  It  had  been  deserted, 
but  at  some  distance  in  advance  several  Indians  were 
taken,  from  whom  important  information  concerning  the 
enemy  was  obtained.  Another  deserted  encampment 
was  reached  next  morning,  and  about  noon  of  the  same 
day  the  colonel  came  up  with  the  main  body  of  the 
enemy.  They  were  hidden  in  a  hammock,  which  was 
protected  in  front  by  a  swamp  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
broad  and  covered  with  saw-grass  five  feet  high.  It 
was  knee  deep  in  mud  and  water,  and  totally  impassa 
ble  to  cavalry. 

On  reaching  the  swamp,  the  colonel  dismounted  his 


BATTLE  OF  OKEECIIOBEE.  323 

cavaby  and  formed  the  order  of  battle.  The  whole 
force  then  pressed  through  the  swamp,  wading  the 
whole  distance  to  the  edge  of  the  hammock.  Here 
the  advance  guard,  volunteers  and  spies,  under  Colonel 
Gentry,  received  a  heavy  fire,  and  were  put  to  flight 
with  the  loss  of  their  commander.  The  regulars 
pressed  forward  in  good  order.  The  Indians  concen 
trated  their  fire  on  six  companies  of  infantry,  killing 
the  commander,  Lieutenant-colonel  Thompson,  and  kill 
ing  or  wounding  every  other  officer  except  one.  When 
these  companies  retired,  one  of  them  had  but  four  men 
untouched.  The  Indians  were  however  charged,  and 
driven  from  the  hammock  to  the  lake  of  Okeechobee, 
on  which  their  encampment  extended  for  more  than 
a  mile.  The  colonel  ordered  their  right  flank  to  be 
turned,  which  was  executed  in  a  handsome  manner ;  and 
the  Indians,  after  delivering  another  fire,  broke  and  fled 
in  all  directions.  They  were  pursued  until  sundown. 
The  action,  from  its  commencement  until  the  time  when 
the  enemy  began  their  retreat,  lasted  nearly  three  hours. 

In  the  battle  of  Okeechobee  the  Americans  lost 
twenty-six  killed  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  wounded, 
including  some  of  their  most  valuable  officers.  The 
loss  of  the  Indians  is  supposed  to  have  been  about  the 
same. 

The  results  of  this  expedition,  Colonel  Taylor  sums 
up  as  follows : — "  This  column  in  six  weeks  penetrated 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  into  the  enemy's  country ; 
opened  roads  and  constructed  bridges  and  causeways 
when  necessary,  on  the  greater  portion  of  the  route ; 
established  two  depots  and  the  necessary  defences  for 
the  same,  and  finally  overtook  and  beat  the  enemy  in 
his  strongest  position.  The  results  of  which  move 
ment  and  battle  have  been  the  capture  of  thirty  of  the 
hostiles,  the  coming  in  and  surrendering  of  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  and  negroes,  the  cap 
turing  and  driving  out  of  the  country  six  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  upwards  of  one  hundred  head  of  horses, 
besides  obtaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country 
30 


324  INDIAN  WANS  OF  TIIK  UNITED  STATES. 

through  which  we  operated,  a  greater  portion  of  which 
was  entirely  unknown  except  to  the  enemy." 

The  importance  of  this  battle  was  duly  appreciated 
by  government.  Colonel  Taylor  was  raised  to  the 
brevet  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  subsequently  in 
trusted  with  the  chief  command  in  Florida.  He  es 
tablished  his  head-quarters  at  Tampa  Bay,  from  which 
he  directed  the  remaining  operations  of  the  war  until 
1840.  He  was,  however,  unable  to  bring  the  Indians 
to  a  second  general  engagement.  They  had  been  dis 
couraged  by  the  affair  of  Okeechobee,  and,  as  is  gene 
rally  the  case  with  their  tribes,  entertained  strong  ap 
prehensions  concerning  the  good  luck  of  the  officer 
who  had  defeated  them.  Hence  the  operations  of  the 
war  at  this  period  were  merely  predatory  incursions  on 
the  part  of  the  Seminoles,  on  villages  or  single  plan 
tations,  which  they  could  rob  or  devastate  in  a  night 
and  escape  before  news  of  the  depredation  reached  the 
American  head-quarters.  Still  the  American  forces,  by 
separating  into  small  parties  which  scoured  the  open 
country,  were  enabled  to  prevent  much  mischief  and 
to  keep  the  savages  in  awe. 

In  May,  1839,  General  Macomb,  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  United  States  army,  arrived  at  Fort  King 
in  Florida,  and  invited  the  Indian  chiefs  to  a  confer 
ence.  They  consented,  and  arrangements  were  entered 
into,  which,  as  the  general  supposed,  were  about  to 
terminate  the  war.  The  futility  of  the  supposition 
was  speedily  apparent.  Early  in  July,  travellers  and 
trains  were  attacked  on  the  highway,  plantations  ra 
vaged,  and  settlers  murdered  or  driven  northward.  At 
Charlotte's  harbour,  Lieutenant-colonel  Harney,  with 
thirty  dragoons,  was  surprised  while  asleep  by  two 
hundred  and  fifty  Seminoles.  Twenty-four  were  killed 
in  their  beds,  or  while  escaping.  Harney  saved  his  life 
by  swimming  to  a  fishing-smack.  This  disaster 
might  probably  have  been  avoided,  but  for  the  feeling 
of  security  inspired  by  the  previous  treaty.  Soon 
after,  the  legislature  of  Florida  authorized  the  employ- 


COL.  WORTH  COMMANDER.  325 

ment  of  blood-hounds  to  track  the  Indians  to  their 
lurking  places.  The  attempt  was  made  with  thirty- 
three  dogs  imported  from  Cuba,  but  failed  completely. 

In  1840,  General  Taylor  requested  and  obtained  per 
mission  to  retire  from  the  command  in  Florida.  He 
was  succeeded  by  General  Armistead.  The  end  of  the 
war  seemed  distant  as  ever.  On  the  Tth  of  August  a 
party  of  Spanish  Indians  in  boats  attacked  Key  Island, 
murdered  several  of  the  inhabitants,  among  whom  was 
Dr.  Perrine,  a  distinguished  naturalist,  and  set  fire  to 
the  buildings.  They  then  retired  with  their  scalps  and 
booty.  The  American  troops,  on  account  of  sickness, 
the  great  heat  of  the  weather,  and  their  totally  insuffi 
cient  numbers,  were  obliged  to  remain  tame  spectators 
of  these  outrages.  On  the  28th  of  December,  Lieu 
tenant  Sherwood  and  twelve  men,  acting  as  an  escort 
to  Mrs.  Montgomery,  were  attacked  at  Martin's  Point. 
The  lady  and  two  privates  were  instantly  killed,  and 
the  lieutenant,  with  his  remaining  men,  after  fighting 
hand  to  hand  with  the  savages,  was  overpowered  by 
numbers.  The  attacking  party  were  soon  afterwards 
captured.  In  March,  1841,  two  slight  skirmishes  oc 
curred  with  celebrated  chiefs,  in  which  the  Indians 
were  worsted.  A  few  then  surrendered,  but  every 
thing  was  as  yet  uncertain  and  desultory.  In  the  same 
month,  the  great  chief  Coacoochee  surrendered  to 
Colonel  Worth. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  Worth  received  the  chief  com 
mand  in  Florida.  He  was  instructed  by  government 
"  to  terminate  as  speedily  as  possible  the  protracted 
hostilities  in  Florida."  The  duty,  as  may  easily  be 
imagined,  was  one  of  no  easy  execution.  Forty-seven 
thousand  square  miles  were  occupied  by  Indians,  and 
they  kept  that  immense  extent  of  country  in  alarm, 
without  once  appearing  in  an  open  battle,  or,  to  any 
great  extent  risking  their  personal  safety.  Hitherto, 
owing  to  the  heat  and  unhealthfulness  of  the  climate, 
no  campaign  had  been  carried  on  during  the  summer. 
Worth  resolved  on  adopting  a  new  plan,  by  pursuing 


INDIAN  WARS  OF  TIIE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  Indians  during  the  entire  year.  He  determined 
also  to  change  the  mode  of  action  to  that  of  partisan 
warfare — his  commands  being  "  Find  the  enemy,  cap 
ture  or  exterminate."  The  first  act,  in  obedience  to 
this  order,  was  the  destroying  of  the  Indian  corn-fields, 
so  that  during  the  month  of  June  destruction  wfts 
carried  into  a  large  portion  of  the  enemy's  country. 
In  July,  Coacoochee's  band,  consisting  of  seventy-eight 
warriors,  sixty-four  women,  and  forty-seven  children, 
surrendered.  Soon  after,  another  great  chief  witli 
eighteen  warriors  was  decoyed  on  board  a  vessel,  by 
promises  of  a  conference,  and  secured.  Other  cap 
tures  or  surrenders  followed ;  and  a  large  number  of 
the  Indians  were  sent  to  the  West.  They  now  appeared 
discouraged,  especially  as  their  provisions  had  been 
destroyed,  and  their  swampy  fastnesses  invaded.  Yet 
for  several  months  they  maintained  a  kind  of  guerrilla 
warfare,  ravaging  the  remote  borders,  shooting  the 
unguarded  traveller,  and  harassing  the  soldiery.  The 
Americans  suffered  greatly  from  sickness,  especially 
yellow  fever  and  dysentery,  brought  on  by  the  heat. 
Many  died  of  sheer  exhaustion. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  the  settlement  of  Man 
darin  was  attacked  by  seventeen  Indians.  Two  men, 
tjyo  women,  and  an  infant,  were  butchered ;  and  the 
dwellings  burned.  Reports  of  other  atrocities  roused 
the  jaded  soldier  to  further  duty.  In  April,  1842, 
Colonel  Worth  set  out  on  an  expedition  to  scour  the 
swamps  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  John's  river.  On  the 
17th,  it  was  ascertained  that  a  party  of  Indians  were 
concealed  in  the  Palaklaklaha  hammock ;  and  at  day 
break  the  troops,  in  order  of  battle,  were  in  full  march 
for  that  station.  After  a  march  of  several  miles, 
through  mud  and  water,  they  reached  the  enemy's  po 
sition.  It  was  defended  by  a  mass  of  foliage,  seem 
ingly  impenetrable.  The  American  fire  was  immedi 
ately  returned  with  the  war  whoop  and  a  volley  of  rifle 
shots,  but  the  troops  pressed  on  steadily  with  the 
bayonet.  The  Indians  defended  themselves  obsti- 


AFFAIR  OF  PALAKLAKLAHA.  327 

nately,  keeping  up  a  continuous  discharge  of  fire-arms. 
Seeing  this,  Worth  attacked  their  rear,  when  a  desper 
ate  struggle  ensued.  It  was  maintained  until  the 
troops  gained  the  hammock,  when  the  Indians  separ 
ated  into  small  parties,  the  better  to  effect  their  escape. 
They  were  followed,  as  far  as  the  nature  of  the  ground 
permitted,  yet  with  indifferent  success.  Their  camp, 
containing  great  quantities  of  meat  and  clothing,  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  victors.  In  this  affair  the  In 
dians  lost  two  killed,  three  wounded,  and  one  captured. 
The  Americans,  one  killed  and  four  wounded.  Eleven 
days  after,  Halleek-Tuttenuggee,  the  chief  who  had 
commanded  in  the  battle,  visited  Worth's  camp,  and 
expressed  his  desire  for  peace.  Some  time  after, 
twenty-five  of  the  most  influential  chiefs  were  invited 
to  a  feast,  and  made  prisoners  while  partaking  of  it. 
Halleek  was  taken  in  the  same  manner.  He  contrived 
various  stratagems  to  effect  an  escape ;  but,  baffled  in 
all,  he  consented  to  emigrate,  and  employed  his  influ 
ence  with  the  Indians  to  persuade  them  to  do  the  same. 
In  July,  he  and  his  band  sailed  for  Arkansas.  Billy 
Bowlegs  and  other  chiefs  from  the  south  came  in  dur 
ing  the  following  month,  with  full  power  from  the  In 
dians  who  remained  there,  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of 
peace.  On  the  14th,  Colonel  Worth  announced  that 
hostilities  in  the  territory  had  ceased.  The  Indians 
surrendered  or  captured  were  to  be  sent  to  the  West ; 
and  those  who  remained  were  temporarily  assigned  a 
portion  of  Florida,  south  of  a  specified  boundary. 
Three  days  after,  Worth  resigned  the  command,  and 
repaired  to  Washington  to  make  final  arrangements 
with  the  government.  Colonel  Vose  assumed  the 
command. 

The  Florida  war  was  not  yet  ended.  Even  before 
Worth  left  the  territory,  hostilities  had  recommenced 
at  San  Pedro.  The  exasperation  and  chagrin  of  the 
inhabitants  broke  forth  into  loud  murmurs  against  the 
government  and  the  army.  Colonel  Vose  was  ordered 
to  take  the  field  immediately,  and  another  series  of 


328  INDIAN  WARS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

negotiations,  skirmishes,  butcheries,  and  hollow  truces 
ensued.  The  details  might  well  fatigue,  but  could  not 
please  or  instruct  the  reader.  It  may  be  sufficient  to 
know  that  in  November,  Colonel  Worth,  lately  breveted 
brigadier-general,  resumed  the  command ;  that  a  few 
more  chiefs  were  captured,  a  few  driven  into  the  ever 
glades,  and  a  few  decoyed  and  afterwards  retained ; 
that  several  hundred  Indians,  desolate,  friendless,  and 
heart-broken,  were  despatched  to  the  West ;  that  the 
military  force  was  now  reduced,  and  now  augmented, 
according  as  the  war- temperament  dictated  the  ther 
mometer-like  policy ;  and  that,  November,  1843,  has 
generally  been  regarded  as  the  time  when  this  whole 
affair,  dignified  by  the  appellation  of  a  national  contest, 
may  be  supposed  to  have  been  concluded.  That  fact 
was  duly  announced  by  General  Worth  in  a  despatch 
to  the  adjutant-general. 

Since  that  time  peace  has,  with  few  interruptions, 
been  maintained.  The  Indian  warriors  now  in  Florida 
number,  perhaps,  one  hundred  and  fifty.  Recently 
Borne  outrages  were  committed,  which  caused  some 
anxiety  least  the  war  was  about  to  be  renewed ;  but  it 
is  believed  that  no  plot  for  that  purpose  exists  among 
the  Indians. 


THE  END. 


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